[4] Satō finished runner-up to Takayuki Yamasaki in the 35th Shinjin-Ō [ja] in November 2004, losing 2 games to 1 in the best-of-three championship round.
He then started to use the wigs as a "tool" at live events to add some humor and make shogi fans laugh a little because felt simple straight-forward game commentary was not as interesting.
[2] He also has said that although he uses the wigs as a joke to make people laugh, they also help him feel better and give him courage, and that some fans have told him that his performances do the same for them.
[2] He even credits his wigs as helping get married since he met his wife at a wedding reception for a fellow shogi professional in 2014.
Later on his wife saw some online videos of his "wig performances" and found them to be very funny, the relationship grew, and the two were married a year later.