Nob Yoshigahara
Encyclopedia
Nobuyuki Yoshigahara was perhaps Japan
's most celebrated inventor, collector, solver, and communicator of puzzles.
Nob graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology
in applied chemistry. After becoming disenchanted with his career in high-polymer engineering, Nob turned to high school teaching as an educator of chemistry and mathematics.
As a puzzle columnist, Nob was an active contributor to many journals and had monthly columns in various popular magazines including Quark
. He penned over 80 books on puzzles. Perhaps best known as a puzzle inventor, he commercially licensed his designs, such as the Rush Hour
puzzle game, to companies including Binary Arts (now known as ThinkFun
), Ishi Press
, and Hanayama Toys. He was also an avid computer programmer who used computers to help solve mathematical puzzle
s.
Nob was an active participant in the International Puzzle Party, traveling the world to attend the annual event. In 2005, the puzzle design competition of the International Puzzle Parties was renamed the Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition.
In 2003, the Association of Game & Puzzle Collectors awarded Nob with the Loyd Award, for individuals who have made a significant contribution to the world of mechanical puzzles.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's most celebrated inventor, collector, solver, and communicator of puzzles.
Nob graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology
Tokyo Institute of Technology
The Tokyo Institute of Technology is a public research university located in Greater Tokyo Area, Japan. Tokyo Tech is the largest institution for higher education in Japan dedicated to science and technology. Tokyo Tech enrolled 4,850 undergaraduates and 5006 graduate students for 2009-2010...
in applied chemistry. After becoming disenchanted with his career in high-polymer engineering, Nob turned to high school teaching as an educator of chemistry and mathematics.
As a puzzle columnist, Nob was an active contributor to many journals and had monthly columns in various popular magazines including Quark
Quark (magazine)
Quark was an American science magazine in the 1970s....
. He penned over 80 books on puzzles. Perhaps best known as a puzzle inventor, he commercially licensed his designs, such as the Rush Hour
Rush Hour (board game)
Rush Hour is a sliding block puzzle invented by Nob Yoshigahara in the late 1970s and first sold in the United States in 1996. It is manufactured by ThinkFun ....
puzzle game, to companies including Binary Arts (now known as ThinkFun
ThinkFun
ThinkFun, formerly known as Binary Arts, was founded in 1985 by Bill Ritchie and Andrea Barthello. The two started the company from the basement of their home in Virginia, with a product base that initially consisted of four games invented by a family friend William Keister...
), Ishi Press
Ishi Press
Ishi Press was the world's leading supplier of go books and equipment in the 1990s, and published Go World magazine.Ishi Press was founded in Japan in 1968 by Richard Bozulich. In 1986, it expanded to an office in Mountain View, California under James Connelley...
, and Hanayama Toys. He was also an avid computer programmer who used computers to help solve mathematical puzzle
Mathematical puzzle
Mathematical puzzles make up an integral part of recreational mathematics. They have specific rules as do multiplayer games, but they do not usually involve competition between two or more players. Instead, to solve such a puzzle, the solver must find a solution that satisfies the given conditions....
s.
Nob was an active participant in the International Puzzle Party, traveling the world to attend the annual event. In 2005, the puzzle design competition of the International Puzzle Parties was renamed the Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition.
In 2003, the Association of Game & Puzzle Collectors awarded Nob with the Loyd Award, for individuals who have made a significant contribution to the world of mechanical puzzles.