Naoya Fujiwara

Naoya Fujiwara (藤原 直哉) is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 7-dan.

Early life and apprenticeship
Fujiwara was born in Kobe on May 27, 1965. He was accepted into the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school at the rank of 6-kyū as a protegee of shogi professional Masakazu Wakamatsu in 1979, and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in 1989.

Shogi professional
Fujiwara finished the 75th Meijin Class C2 league (April 2016 –March 2017) with a record of 1 win and 9 losses, earning a third demotion point which meant automatic demotion to "Free Class" play.

Promotion history
The promotion history for Fujiwara is as follows:
 * 6-kyū: 1979
 * 1-dan: 1982
 * 4-dan: April 1, 1989
 * 5-dan: November 10, 1994
 * 6-dan: July 24, 2001
 * 7-dan: June 19, 2013

Awards and honors
Fujiwara received the Japan Shogi Association's "25 Years Service Award" in 2013 for being an active professional for 25 years.