Maki Kaji, the Japanese man called the “Godfather of Sudoku” who invented the popular numbers puzzle found in newspapers around the world, died August 10th of bile duct cancer in Tokyo at the age of 69, the Associated Press reports.
Chief executive at his puzzle company, Nikoli Co., Maki traveled to more than forty countries to promote puzzling as a enjoyable, beneficial activity. He trademarked the name “sudoku” in Japan, but never sought to own a trademark international, leading to the puzzle’s rabid adoption as regular content.
“Kaji-san came up with the name Sudoku and was loved by puzzle fans from all over the world. We are grateful from the bottom of our hearts for the patronage you have shown throughout his life,” the company said in a statement.
Although Maki is widely credited for naming sudoku and popularizing it globally, the roots of the number puzzle can be traced back to a puzzle that appeared in a Paris newspaper in the 1890s. Some people credit Hoosier Howard Garns, a retired architect from Connersville, Indiana for the current version of the puzzle.