Kōichi Kinoshita

Kōichi Kinoshita (木下 浩一) is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 7-dan.

Early life, amateur shogi and apprenticeship
Kinoshita was born in Nagano Prefecture on August 29, 1967. As a junior high school student, he won the 3rd All-Japan Junior High School Student Invitational Shogi Tournament in 1982, and later that same year entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school at the rank of 6-kyū under the guidance of shogi professional Shigeyuki Matsuda. He was promoted to apprentice professional 1-dan in 184, and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in 1988.

Shogi professional
In March 2009, Kinoshita declared his intention to the Japan Shogi Association to become a Free Class player as of April 2009.

Promotion history
The promotion history for Kinoshita is as follows:
 * 6-kyū: 1982
 * 1-dan: 1984
 * 4-dan: April 1, 1988
 * 5-dan: June 8, 1993
 * 6-dan: February 19, 2001
 * 7-dan: April 1, 2017

Awards and honors
Kinoshita received the Japan Shogi Association's "25 Years Service Award" in 2012 for being an active professional for 25 years.