The murderer who put me in hell”…Former 8-dan professional Go player “beat his ex-wife and father with a mulberry tree”, and the trouble of falling from glory.

Hussey.

Hashimoto, a former professional Go player loved by his fans, is now being tried for his crimes.

On December 8, the Otsu District Public Prosecutors Office (Shiga Prefecture) filed charges of breaking and entering and attempted murder against Hashimoto, 40, of Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City. Hashimoto is a former professional Shogi player who rose to the rank of 8-dan and dominated the Shogi world. The case against Hashimoto can be found at …….

In July 2011, he broke into a house in Otsu City. He allegedly tried to kill his divorced ex-wife, Ms. A, and her father by beating them to death with a mulberry. Hashimoto had been arrested and prosecuted for repeatedly slandering Ms. A on SNS and other social media for some time, and was given a suspended sentence in June 2011.

In an article distributed on July 24, 2011, “FRIDAY Digital” reported in detail on the attempted murder case allegedly committed by defendant Hashimoto and the repeated slanderous slander troubles against Ms. A. We would like to reproduce the article and look back on the turmoil that shook the Shogi world (some parts have been corrected).

Refused to go to the police voluntarily

My ex-husband is barging in!

It was just after 7:00 a.m. on July 20 when the police received a distress call from a woman. When police officers arrived at the scene, they found a man bleeding from the head. The man was a former professional chess player who had once been popular in the shogi world.

On the same day, the defendant Hashimoto was arrested by the Otsu Police Station of the Shiga Prefectural Police on suspicion of attempted murder. Hashimoto entered a house in Otsu City where his ex-wife, A., and her father and others lived, through an unlocked window in a Japanese-style room on the first floor. He allegedly attempted to kill Ms. A. and her father by striking them with a 70-cm-long wooden stag head.

Fortunately, Mr. A and his father sustained only minor injuries. When police officers arrived at the scene, they found Hashimoto bleeding from the head due to his father’s resistance. After receiving treatment at the hospital where he was taken, Hashimoto was asked to voluntarily accompany his father to the Otsu Police Station, but he refused. He was arrested on the spot in an emergency.

Hashimoto was also arrested on January 17 on suspicion of defamation. He is said to have repeatedly tweeted defamatory remarks about Ms. A, who is divorced.

The murderer who destroyed everything I’ve ever known.

The murderer who put me through hell.

Hashimoto is alleged to have posted slanderous comments about Mr. A on his Twitter account (now X). However, January 2011 was not the first time he was arrested.

This is the second time defendant Hashimoto has been arrested for defamation. He was arrested in December 2010 and prosecuted by the Otsu District Court in Shiga Prefecture, where Ms. A lives.

Hashimoto entered the world of professional Go players in April 2001, when he was 18 years old. He competed with Sota Fujii and Zenji Hanyu, and his total record was 414 wins and 303 losses, and his rank was 8-dan. He was called a “heretic in the shogi world” because he wore his hair blond with a punch perm and looked at the camera during games.

He weighed 70 kg instead of 90 kg.

Hashimoto, nicknamed “Hussie,” was one of the top-class shogi players in the world in terms of both popularity and ability. In April 2009, he suddenly submitted a notice of retirement to the Japan Shogi Federation.

Hashimoto said, “There was a divorce problem between me and Mr. A. According to what Hashimoto told the media, including “Shukan Josei” (April 27, 2009 issue), when he returned to his home in Shiga Prefecture in July 2007 after playing a game in Tokyo, he found that Mr. A had disappeared with his newborn son.

Although the truth is not known as it was a family matter, Hashimoto’s weight had dropped from 90 kg to 70 kg due to the strain of missing his son. He was in no condition to play Shogi. He had no choice but to submit a notice of retirement to the Shogi Federation,” said a Shogi Federation official.

After that, Hashimoto became a You Tuber and started to talk about his divorce trouble with Mr. A as well as commentating on Shogi with his characteristic light tone.

It was not until 2010 that the divorce was finally finalized,” said Hashimoto. Hashimoto was stubborn by nature and must have been under a lot of stress because of the trouble over the custody of the children. However, no matter how dissatisfied he may have been, slandering him is definitely not a good thing to do.

Hashimoto’s repeated troubles have ruined his glamorous career as a professional Go player. The truth will gradually be revealed in court.