In mahjong, everyone strives for greatness. From small wins to contributions to the community, everyone builds their legacy. And with enough skill and time and effort, and through the lives they’ve touched, a small handful of people will be called one of the greats.
This week, we learned about the loss of one of these greats. This loss caused pain to many in the mahjong community. And through the pain, players played in memory of this person, honoured their legacy and recounted memories that they held dear.
Maehara Yudai (1956- 2025)
On October 12, 2025, former M-Leaguer Maehara Yudai passed away at the age of 68. Maehara was a member of the Konami Mahjong Fight Club from the 2018-19 season to the 2020-21 season. He was an integral part of the start of M-League and the Konami Mahjong Fight Club. He was most famous for exemplifying the team’s signature pose, even doing it at the table after winning a game.
Memories and tributes started flowing in from the mahjong community, including Shiratori Sho’s Tweet about how he learned the news and how the memories with Maehara started flooding back, to Sasaki Hisato’s note about how close the two of them were and how Maehara helped shape Hisato to be the pro he is today.
Before the games on October 16, 2025, a moment of silence was held to remember Maehara.
Former teammates Sasaki Hisato and Takamiya Mari also honoured Maehara by performing his famous pose at the end of their games that day.
The M-League Watch Team would like to give to send its deepest condolences to Maehara’s family and the mahjong community and wish everyone comfort in this difficult time.
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