Minoru Kitani

Kitani was a young prodigy who quickly attracted attention after the founding, in 1924, of the Nihon Ki-in.

Kitani's career never quite recovered; he was also hampered by bad health, in the form of a heart condition.

Kitani was subsequently noted as the most prolific teacher ever of future professional players.

His own daughter Reiko (1939–1996) reached 6 dan and won the All-Japan Women's Championship several times,[1] and married one of his best students, Koichi Kobayashi.

Their child, Izumi Kobayashi, Kitani's granddaughter, is now one of Japan's current leading female players.