Ricoh in-house entrepreneur Saki Wataishi (left) and Kana Satomi, a five-crown women’s professional champion in Shogi. This two-player strategy board game is also known as Japanese chess.

Looking beyond winning or losing

Kana Satomi started playing Shogi when she was six. She entered the women's professional league in her first year of junior high school. The five-crown champion reveals that her success derives from concentrating on the here and now rather than worrying about winning or losing.

How will those who seek to change their future and society pave the way?

Saki Wataishi, who became an in-house entrepreneur at Ricoh in 2020, sat down with Ms. Satomi to explore ways in which she could make the world a better place.

A higher purpose than trying not to lose

Kana, what prompted you to pursue a career in the historically male-dominated world of shogi?

Kana Satomi：It was a natural outcome from watching my father teach my older brother. I was also allowed to attend my brother’s shogi school. I surprised the family by also taking up the game, but nobody objected.

I was the only girl at that school. I absorbed myself in the game because I detested losing to boys my own age.

I came to love shogi so much that I decided in grade six at elementary school that if I were to continue to play I would go pro. I didn’t actually expect to make a career out of this. But as time moved on I entered a training institution and became a professional player.

At first, I wanted to win a title^＊1. I temporarily lost my way after achieving that. I then set my mind on becoming a professional^＊2 to demonstrate that I could reach the highest levels of the game.

^{＊1 There are eight titles for women’s professionals. Ms. Satomi has won five. They are the Seirei, Women’s Oza, Women's Oi, Women’s Osho, and the Kurashiki Toka Cup.}

^{＊2 There are two professional qualifications in the world of shogi. One is regular professional (open to both males and females). The other is women’s professional. As of October 2022, no woman had become a regular professional.}

Don’t set limits for yourself

Saki Wataishi：It’s interesting that your parents raised you without any strictly defined rules or roles due to your gender.

Satomi：That’s right. I tended to follow my older brother around, so most of my friends were boys. I never wore skirts, but my parents never told me act more feminine. That’s why I am who I am.

Wataishi：Unlike your family, mine clearly delineated the roles of men and women.

I also have an older brother. He was allowed to stay out late. I had to come home early to help with chores because I was a girl. For the same reason, my parents also told me I didn’t have to study all that hard. I grew up rebelling against all this, although I my upbringing feminized me.

My transfer to Ricoh America in 2015 drove this home to me.

I developed IT systems proposals for clients. My boss was American. She told me to be more confident and assertive. She made me realize that I was too reserved. I found it hard to break free.

But I gradually became more confident, unshackling my self-imposed limitations, and gaining the strength to pursue my dreams.

In Japan, women bear the brunt of household chores even in marriages in which both partners work. Many women struggle with traditional expectations. That’s why I decided to launch an innerwear brand for women in India. I am striving to liberate females there through a brand called RANGORIE. I hope to contribute to a future in which women everywhere, including in India, are free of housework and other restrictions.

Satomi：More and more women are playing in the traditionally male-dominated world of shogi. I think this has changed the atmosphere.

The gaps in information and opportunities in urban and rural areas may have diminished quite a lot over the years but they haven’t disappeared. I play shogi in Tokyo and Osaka. As a child, I commuted from home in Shimane Prefecture, so transportation cost me quite a lot. And there are far more shogi schools in Tokyo and Osaka than in rural areas.

I’ll never forget the time I saw a female professional at shogi event I went to as an elementary school student. I thought she was really cool. While I offer online lessons, I want to hold as many events as possible in rural areas.

Creating a business to resolve a social issue

Saki, you launched RANGORIE in 2020 as part of Ricoh’s new business idea contest. It’s surprising that a multifunctional printer manufacturer like Ricoh would create innerwear for Indian women. Why did you begin such a business?

Wataishi：I worked on pattern recognition for items scanned from multifunctional printers to streamline tasks. I became interested in three-dimensional scanners during that time.

I thought, for example, that scanning women’s bodies would make it possible to customize innerwear. While I was pondering things like this, I met Ryoko Ezoe. When she was a Ricoh employee, she took part in an in-house program to develop businesses for women villagers at the base of the economic pyramid in India. We decided to launch an innerwear brand together.

Gender inequality remains deep-rooted in Japan and India. Few women are in the workforce in India, where they have to buy innerwear and sanitary products from male shopkeepers. RANGORIE aims to empower women to generate incomes by making and selling their own innerwear.

In most households in rural India, men work outside and women generally take care of the housework. In some areas, the families of brides still pay dowries to grooms. Families accordingly see girls as financial burdens and favor boys. Dowries rise with age, which explains why child marriages are so common. While women attend vocational schools to prove that they can earn money, few jobs are available. We launched our project to help resolve such social issues and support women’s social independence.

Ricoh believes being useful for society leads naturally to creating businesses.Ms. Ezoe’s program in India was in keeping with that ethos.

So, you launched RANGORIE from the perspectives of female engineers.

Wataishi：As a software engineer, I wanted to tap advanced technology to enhance women’s lives. The notion of using a 3D scanner to create a product offering excellent fit came from understanding how women feel. Only a female engineer could have come up with such an idea. I thought that would give our business an edge on the competition.

One step at a time

Wataishi：Satomi, you’ve won a lot of titles and achieved much in a very competitive field. What is the secret of your success?

Satomi：If I get too obsessed with winning, I tend to fall short, so I tend temper my expectations these days.

Shogi is a mentally tough game. If you fret over a bad move the very next move may also be poor. So, you constantly have to keep your emotions in check. Only you can keep yourself out of a vicious cycle.

That’s why I recently recognized the importance of taking care of my health as well as studying shogi. I try to look after the basics of sleeping and eating properly and exercising moderately.

Wataishi：I completely agree that it’s important to take one step at a time.

I’ve repeatedly found myself climbing one mountain only to see a larger one mountain nearby, deciding to take on that challenge. Come to think of it, I gradually amassed my skills and strength for climbing. I’ve recently felt that all experiences are worthwhile. It’s important to focus on the task at hand.

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for RANGORIE. The pandemic interrupted production there. I don’t want to stress myself out by insisting that things should be a certain way. So I'll remain flexible in pursuing my dreams.

Satomi：It stresses me out when things don’t go well and I can only think of shogi. So, I try to talk with people from different industries to broaden my mind.

I really enjoyed you sharing your challenges today, Saki.

Wataishi：I likewise enjoyed talking with you, Kana! Thanks a lot.