Maeda Nobuaki (前田 陳爾, 22 November 1907 – 3 July 1975) was a Japanese professional 9 dan go player, a disciple of Honinbo Shusai, and a member of the Nihon Ki-in, the main organizational body for go in Japan.
[1] His own disciples were Norio Kudo, Yusuke Oeda,[2] Shioiri Itsuzo, Nagahara Yoshiaki, and Morikawa Masao.
Maeda reached the highest professional rank, 9 dan, in 1963, but never achieved the consistent record of tournament success that marks the truly elite player.
[citation needed] Maeda is also remembered for his presumed role in one of the most sensational and controversial games of the 20th century: the 1933 challenge game between his teacher, Honinbo Shusai, and the Chinese prodigy Go Seigen (Wu Qingyuan).
It may be assumed that if Maeda was indeed the author of the move, he would decline to confirm it in order to honor the long-standing Japanese professional tradition of respect for one's teacher, thus preserving Shusai's reputation.