Kiyoharu Yashiro

A 15yearold player from the Kansai Go institute. Yashiro studied Go when he was ten and became a professional player by the age of fifteen thus praised by his teacher and regulars of the Kansai institute as a prodigy. However he often has trouble garnering supports from from his parents who believe playing Go has no future and force him to continue high school. Unabashed by this setback Yashiro strives to become a successful player to prove he made the right choice. Yashiro039s style is considered by many as offbeat and even rather reckless as he tends to try out unconventional hands such as a Tengen and 55 opening which are very rarely used due to the risks they present yet still plays very well. However Kurata comments that Yashiro039s strength isn039t enough to play moves of that level as proven by his devastating loss against the superior Hikaru when he started their game with a 55.