Board craftsman Mr.Keiji Miwa made Go board

Established in 1917. This is the corner of the board made by Kyoji Miwa, the third generation board maker of Miwa Goban Ten, a long-established Go board store in Nagoya City for more than 100 years. Please take a look at the boards made with the passion for board making, from the wood to the carving of the legs and the tachi-mori.

■History of Miwa Goban Store

Founded in 1917. Miwa Goban Store is a long-established Go board store in Nagoya City that has been making Go boards for more than 100 years. Mr. Saburo Miwa, the first generation, Mr. Yajuji Miwa, the second generation, and now Mr. Kyoji Miwa, the third generation, are working hard to make boards. The name of the shop is Keiho.

Saburo Miwa, who was originally a "Hako-Hibachi" craftsman, learned how to make Go boards and Shogi boards from a Go board craftsman in Osaka, and the Miwa Go Board Store was born.

Miwa Go Board Store's Commitment to the Board / "Eye for Judging Wood" and "Drying Techniques

Miwa Goban Store is absolutely confident in the "raw materials" and "drying process" used in the production of our boards. While most board stores buy close grain lumber from connoisseurs, Mr. Kyoji Miwa, the third generation of Miwa Go board makers, has traveled to lumber markets all over Japan since his apprenticeship to directly touch and see many kinds of lumber. Our Go board and Shogi board are made from wood selected with our "eye for wood" and backed up by our experience. We are especially particular about the drying process, which is done only by natural drying, and some boards are dried in our workshop for more than 10 years.

■Miwa Go Board Store's Commitment to the Board / "Leg Engraving

It is said that leg carving is "patience work. Legs carved with a small knife are not so simple that several pairs can be made in a day. Moreover, it takes several days to polish and finish the legs after carving. Miwa Goban Ten's boards use "legs" that are made with care, high technology, time, and thought.

■Miwa Go Board Store's Commitment to the Board / "Tachi-mori" ("Tachi-mori" is a Japanese word meaning "sword")

"Tachi-mori" is an indispensable process for the production of first-class boards. Miwa Goban Ten's boards are made by drawing lines using the "yarai" method, which is one of the most common methods of tachi-mori. The beauty and smoothness that can only be achieved by the handwork of "putting lacquer on the blade and heaping it up on the board" and the "heaping up of lacquer" produced by this process are the true essence of Miwa Kyoji, the board maker.

In the production of dials, which is often based on experience, we have been accumulating data on weather, temperature, humidity, and the condition of lacquer for many years, which we utilize in the production of dials. Lacquer is a very difficult paint to handle because it is easily affected by temperature and humidity. By utilizing not only experience but also data, we can catch a glimpse of his commitment as a board craftsman to "create a better board.