Wood craftsman "Kai-shi (懐志)" made "Tagayasan / Ironwood" Go bowls

Long-established business founded in Kansei Era (around 1790)
"Kai-shi (懐志)", a long-established woodworking company, was founded in the Kansei era (around 1790).
When the company was first established, it made trays, wooden plates, and other tableware, but later, when it was commissioned to make Go bowls, it became a woodworking company specializing in Go bowls.
The word "Kai-shi (懐志)" expresses their desire to "never forget the techniques handed down from generation to generation and our sincere efforts to make Go bowls, and to carve our thoughts into our own bosom with high aspirations."
Currently, the fourth generation of the family, who has devoted 65 years of his life to making Go bowls, is devoting himself to making Go bowls every day.

The essence of "Kai-shi (懐志)" 4th generation's Go bowls making is to maximize the beauty of the material, wood, and to create Go bowls that combine practicality and artistry.
Facing each material one by one and checking the feel of it in their fingertips and palms, they transform the wood into a Go bowls.
And the proof of this is the engraving of "Kai-shi (懐志)" on the bottom of the Go bowls.

All the tools for making Go bowls are handmade.
All necessary tools are customize.
*Please check the photo images.

The "Tagayasan" [Ironwood] is a broad-leaved tree of the Fabaceae family and is known as one of the karaki (Chinese trees) and a famous tree.
As the name "iron sword" implies, it is a very hard and heavy wood.

What are the "three famous karaki woods"?
Kokutan [Ebony], Shitan [Rose ebony], and Tagayasan [Ironwood] have been used for centuries for various architectural purposes, furniture, and musical instruments because of their hardness anddensitys.
The amount of Tagayasan distributed worldwide is very small, and it is said to be depleted in the future, making it a rare and precious wood.

Characteristics of Tagayasan Material
Because of its durability and resistance to corrosion, Tagayasan is often used for high-grade floor posts furniture, etc.
However, it is very expensive because of the small quantity produced.
It has a unique and beautiful grain when used as a straight grain.
The wood is dark brown or almost black with light-colored stripes.
The grain of time has beautiful patterns such as cloud patterns and arrowhead patterns, which are called "Tagayame".

Uses of Tagayasan
Because of its hardness and strength, it is used for furniture and Buddhist altars, and because of its resistance to corrosion, it is mainly used for decorative purposes, such as beads, building materials (floor posts and interiors), walking sticks, wooden swords, and brush handles.
Of course, it is also used to make "Go Bowl" in very small numbers.

Origin of the name "Tagayasan"
It is generally believed that the name "Tagayasan" comes from the fact that the wood is very hard and heavy and that it looks like an iron sword.
One theory is that it is a variation of the Filipino word "tambulian".

• Product : "Tagayasan" [Ironwood] Go Bowls
  Conformity Go stone for size :
  size 30 - 35
  size 36 - 42
  *Please select size
  weight :
  Extra Large size about 1.1 kg
  Super Extra Large size about 1.2 kg
  


• 1,000 JPY flat rate shipping within Japan, free shipping for purchases totaling 20,000 JPY or more.
  Please bear the actual cost for shipping charges outside Japan.

You may find small knots, burrs, rolled-in bark as all these products are made of natural trees.
There may be some small flaw or scratch, dent, chipping.