From: Reijer Grimbergen ETL GO JP> Date: 24 sep 1996 Subject: Re: This week in Shukan Shogi Ross Dickson ACHILLES NET> writes: > Thanks Reijer for your explanation of the ranking of professional Shogi > players. It makes your column much more understandable. Perhaps it could be > included in a frequently asked questions site. > I have several questions supplementary to Sean Chasworth's original > question: What are the salaries that these players receive in the different > Junissen classes? Are there bonuses for competing, winning, being promoted > etc., and if so, how much? What I'm really asking, is it possible to make a > living as a professional? I imagine that some, like Habu, could probably > earn additional money for appearing on TV and promoting certain products or > services. Are professionals allowed to do this? > Best regards > Ross Dickson I have no idea about the current players salaries. They are only published once a year if ever. I put an old top ten on this list a couple of months ago, but I can not repeat it here because I lost the message and I have no idea in which Shogi Sekai I found it. However, it is hardly relevant to your question, because this was only the total for a year. I also have no idea what the salaries are in each Junisen division and of the people I asked there is nobody who seems to know or wants to tell. This question has been asked before on this list and then there was no answer from the Japanese subscribers, so I guess it is really not public knowledge. I do know that Habu is making a couple of million dollars a year. I also know that the salary in C2 is barely enough to raise a family on. Furthermore, it seems that the salary from C2 to C1 more than doubles. Finally, as for your question about commercials: there is no rule forbidding it, but I guess they have to ask permission from the Renmei first. However, even in Japan, Shogi players are not very well known to the general public, so companies tend to use stars with a higher profile. The exception of course is Habu, who everybody knows. I have seen Habu in a commercial for yoghurt and recently in a beer commercial. I have no idea why he is doing that, because he clearly does not need the money. But then again, in Japan I have seen Jodie Foster, Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Stephen Seagal, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Scottie Pippen and many others in commercials here in Japan and they certainly do not need the money. Sorry I can not be of more help, Reijer -- Reijer Grimbergen Electrotechnical Laboratory Palcious Tsukuba 302 1-1-4 Umezono 1-24-8 Ninomiya Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken 305 JAPAN 305 JAPAN E-mail: grimberg etl go jp Tel: 0298-59-1606 WWW: http://www.etl.go.jp:8080/etl/suiron/~grimberg Tel: +81-(0)298-54-5080 extension: 67431 Fax: +81-(0)298-58-5918