Hifumi Katō

Hifumi Katō
Katō after receiving the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2018
Native name加藤一二三
Born(1940-01-01)January 1, 1940
HometownKama, Fukuoka, Japan
DiedJanuary 22, 2026(2026-01-22) (aged 86)
Career
Achieved professional statusAugust 1, 1954(1954-08-01) (aged 14)
Badge Number64
Rank9-dan
RetiredJune 20, 2017(2017-06-20) (aged 77)
TeacherShōji Kenmochi (9-dan)
Major titles won8
Tournaments won23
Career record1324–1180 (.529)
Websites
JSA profile page

Hifumi Katō (加藤 一二三, Katō Hifumi; January 1, 1940 – January 22, 2026) was a Japanese professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 9-dan. During his career, he won the Meijin, Tenth Dan, Ōi, Kiō and Ōshō major titles. He also held the record for being the youngest to have been awarded regular professional status at age 14 years and 7 months until Sōta Fujii broke it at age 14 years and 2 months in 2016.

Since his given name is written using the kanji characters for the numbers "one","two" and "three", Katō was known to his fans by the nickname "Hifumin" (ひふみん).