Maki Kaji, 'Godfather of Sudoku' and Lifelong Puzzle Fan, Dies of Cancer at 69

YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty

Maki Kaji, the puzzle publisher who helped make Sudoku one of the world's most popular games, died of bile duct cancer, his company announced. He was 69.

"Maki Kaji, who spread the love of puzzles in the world as 'Godfather of Sudoku,' passed away at 10:54 PM on August 10, 2021 at home in Tokyo," Nikoli Co. wrote in a statement.

"Kaji-san came up with the name Sudoku and was loved by puzzle fans from all over the world," they added in a separate statement, as reported by the Associated Press. "We are grateful from the bottom of our hearts for the patronage you have shown throughout his life."

According to the BBC, Kaji — a lifelong fan of puzzles — dropped out of college in the early 1980s and launched Japan's first puzzle magazine, Nikoli. A few years after the magazine's debut, Kaji spotted a unique numbers-based puzzle game called "Number Place," created by American architect Howards Garns. The puzzle was likely influenced by previous games seen in French newspapers during the late 1800s, the outlet said.

Kaji wanted it featured in his magazine — but he had one problem.

"The name, Number Place, did not hit me," he said in 2008. "I wanted to create a Japanese name."

Instead, Kaji named his version of the game "Suji-wa-Dokushin-ni-Kagiru," which translates to "Numbers should be single, a bachelor," the Associated Press reported.

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But the name wasn't a hit amongst his colleagues, and Kaji — before rushing to make it to a horse race on time — came up with "Sudoku" as the new name, BBC reported.

While the game had a following, it didn't become a global sensation until many years later in 2004, when a fan asked The Times to feature it in an upcoming edition of the British newspaper. Sudoku has been one of the world's most popular games ever since.

Kaji had remained the CEO of his company, Nikoli Co., until July 31, 2021, when he handed the position to its former editor-in-chief, Yoshinao Anpuku.

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According to the New York Times, the true origins of the game that Sudoku is based on are not known. Some historians believe it was invented by a Swiss mathematician in the 18th century, while others think it came from China or Arab countries centuries earlier than that.

Kaji did not receive financial gain from Sudoku and did not trademark the game outside of Japan, the AP said. But wealth was not the goal he had in mind when launching his puzzle magazine so many years ago.

"I get really moved when I see a new idea for a puzzle which has lots of potential," he once told the BBC.

"I get really excited about it," he added. "It is like finding treasure."