Maki Kaji | |
---|---|
![]() Kaji in 2011 | |
Born | 8 October 1951
Sapporo, Japan |
Died | 10 August 2021
Tokyo, Japan | (aged 69)
Maki Kaji (鍜治 真起, Kaji Maki, 8 October 1951 – 10 August 2021 [1]) was a Japanese businessman who was the president of Nikoli, a puzzle manufacturer. He is widely known as "the father of Sudoku" for his role in popularizing the number game. [2] [3]
Kaji was born in Sapporo on 8 October 1951. [4] [5] His father worked as an engineer at a telecom company; his mother was employed by a kimono shop. Kaji attended Shakujii High School in his hometown. He later studied literature at Keio University, but dropped out during his first year. [4] [6] After a succession of jobs including being a roadie, a waiter and a construction worker, he started a publishing business. [6]
Kaji launched a quarterly puzzle magazine in 1980 called Nikoli, [7] together with two friends from his childhood. [4] They named the magazine after a race horse that had won the 1980 2000 Guineas Stakes race in Ireland. [6] [8] Three years later, he founded a company under the same name. [5] The magazine, the company's main product, grew to have 50,000 quarterly readers. [9]
The number game Sudoku appeared in early issues of Nikoli. [7] He formulated the name "Sudoku" while he was scrambling to get to a horse race. [4] [10] He shortened it from Suuji wa dokushin ni kagiru ("numbers should be single") at the urging of his fellow workers. [10] After the game spread to Britain [11] [12] and the United States, [8] it became wildly popular. [7]
Kaji also invented or introduced various other puzzle games, such as Masyu. [9] He resigned as head of Nikoli on 31 July 2021, [13] ten days before his death. [4] [14] He was succeeded as president by Nikoli's editor in chief, Yoshinao Anpuku. [13]
Kaji was married to Naomi until his death. Together, they had two children. [4]
Kaji died on 10 August 2021 at his home in Tokyo at age 69, from bile duct cancer. [4] [15] Nikoli's staff held a memorial gathering for him on 2 November in Tokyo. [16]
The puzzle gripping the nation actually began at a small New York magazine
Maki Kaji | |
---|---|
![]() Kaji in 2011 | |
Born | 8 October 1951
Sapporo, Japan |
Died | 10 August 2021
Tokyo, Japan | (aged 69)
Maki Kaji (鍜治 真起, Kaji Maki, 8 October 1951 – 10 August 2021 [1]) was a Japanese businessman who was the president of Nikoli, a puzzle manufacturer. He is widely known as "the father of Sudoku" for his role in popularizing the number game. [2] [3]
Kaji was born in Sapporo on 8 October 1951. [4] [5] His father worked as an engineer at a telecom company; his mother was employed by a kimono shop. Kaji attended Shakujii High School in his hometown. He later studied literature at Keio University, but dropped out during his first year. [4] [6] After a succession of jobs including being a roadie, a waiter and a construction worker, he started a publishing business. [6]
Kaji launched a quarterly puzzle magazine in 1980 called Nikoli, [7] together with two friends from his childhood. [4] They named the magazine after a race horse that had won the 1980 2000 Guineas Stakes race in Ireland. [6] [8] Three years later, he founded a company under the same name. [5] The magazine, the company's main product, grew to have 50,000 quarterly readers. [9]
The number game Sudoku appeared in early issues of Nikoli. [7] He formulated the name "Sudoku" while he was scrambling to get to a horse race. [4] [10] He shortened it from Suuji wa dokushin ni kagiru ("numbers should be single") at the urging of his fellow workers. [10] After the game spread to Britain [11] [12] and the United States, [8] it became wildly popular. [7]
Kaji also invented or introduced various other puzzle games, such as Masyu. [9] He resigned as head of Nikoli on 31 July 2021, [13] ten days before his death. [4] [14] He was succeeded as president by Nikoli's editor in chief, Yoshinao Anpuku. [13]
Kaji was married to Naomi until his death. Together, they had two children. [4]
Kaji died on 10 August 2021 at his home in Tokyo at age 69, from bile duct cancer. [4] [15] Nikoli's staff held a memorial gathering for him on 2 November in Tokyo. [16]
The puzzle gripping the nation actually began at a small New York magazine