Celebrity File Japan by Lint


英文		重要語句
■ Most people decide what to do with their lives when they are in their early adulthood while others decide what to do with their lives at a very young age. When Yoshiharu Habu was only eleven years old, he already knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He wanted to play shogi, a game popularly known as "Japanese chess."		adulthood　成人
■■ Shogi is similar to "western" chess in many ways, the object is to capture the king, but there are a few differences such as all men being the same color (though facing opposite directions) and captured men may be brought back into the game for the capturing side. Unlike chess, there are very few draws in shogi.		capture　…〈相手のこま〉を取る man　こま face　…のほうを向く opposite　反対の bring back　（元の場所に）戻す draw　引き分け
■■■ Born in Saitama Prefecture in 1970, a neighbor taught Habu how to play shogi when he was six years old and he quickly became proficient at the game. Later, he came under the tutelage of his shogi master Tatsuya Futagami and by the time he was 15 had entered the ranks of professional shogi players.		proficient　上達した under the tutelage of ...　 …の指導の下で
■■■■ He quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with while competing as a professional. He became the youngest champion ever when he won his first tournament in 1989 at the age of 19. He repeated his success several times over the following years and in 1995, he won six of shogi’s top seven titles.		establish oneself as ...　…として名声を得る force　勢力者 reckon　…を評価する compete　競う
■■■■■ Two years later, Habu accomplished a feat that would make Tiger Woods envious. That year, he won all seven of shogi's biggest titles. It was an accomplishment never done before or since: Holding all seven crowns at the same time. Habu became a popular celebrity in Japan and his fame renewed Japan's interest in shogi. Sales of shogi boards rose over 30 percent at that time.		accomplish　…をやり遂げる feat　偉業 envious　羨望する fame　名声
■■■■■■ On Sunday, February 23, 2003, Habu became the eleventh shogi player to notch 800 victories. He accomplished this at the age of 32 and hopes to reach 1,000 wins while still in his thirties. Moreover, he has only lost 283 times giving him the best winning percentage among professional players in Japan.		notch　…を達成する
■■■■■■■ Unfortunately, shogi is relatively unknown outside of Asia and many believe that if shogi is ever going to become a popular game worldwide, Habu is the man for the job. Today, several top chess players from around the world are beginning to play shogi. Habu is such a dominant force in shogi that he has made efforts to try his hand at "western" chess where he hopes to compete someday with the world's best.		relatively　割合に the man for ... …にうってつけの人 dominant　群を抜いて高い try one’s hand at ...　 …に挑戦してみる
■■■■■■■■ Habu is a very busy man. He is out of Tokyo 120 days a year to play shogi and 140 days he travels for other engagements. In his free time Habu spends time with his two daughters and his wife, former actress Rie Hatada, and also enjoys swimming and traveling.		engagement　用事

－written by Brock Spore

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