The 1st Kisei was the birth of a new Go tournament. Since this was the first year of the tournament, there was no set challenger or holder. From the 2nd edition on, there has been a playoff between challengers. At the time, it was the highest paying tournament there had ever been, and would be until the creation of the Ing Cup. Fujisawa Hideyuki's win would mark the beginning of a six-year defense of the Kisei title from 1977 to 1982.[1][2]
Hideyuki and Utaro reached the best of seven finals. Hideyuki took the first game, but lost the second. He then won three in a row and won his first of six straight titles.[2]
