November 17th, "Shogi Day" Special Board craftsman Mr. Keiji MIWA made Japan grown Hon kaya 2.0-Sun (63mm thick) Kiura 1-piece Table Shogi Board No.88004 411-TSB-04

Currently, Japanese Kaya lumber is depleted and raw materials are very difficult to obtain, even making one-piece Kiura board very rare.
The lines of a board are marked using "Tachi-mori", the skill of drawing lines using a Japanese sword.
This traditional technique highlights the beauty of natural grain patterns and the texture of lacquered line is smooth and has also a nice feeling.

This is a Kiura board, so the top surface appears Itame.
There is a linear stain from the bottom to the cutting side to the top.
This board comes with Shogi piece stands.
*Please check the images.

In Japan, November 17th is celebrated as "Shogi Day" to honor the traditional Japanese board game, shogi, which has a long history dating back to ancient times.
This day is an opportunity for shogi enthusiasts, professional players, and beginners alike to celebrate the unique strategies and techniques that make shogi a beloved cultural pastime in Japan.
On Shogi Day, various events are held nationwide, including special matches with professional shogi players, instructional workshops for beginners, and tournaments for amateurs.
Schools and community centers may also host events to introduce the game to new players, fostering an appreciation for this intellectual and strategic game.
Shogi is often referred to as "Japanese chess," but it has its own distinctive pieces and rules, including the ability to use captured pieces as one's own, making it a dynamic and complex game.
With a dedicated fan base, shogi continues to gain popularity worldwide, and Shogi Day offers a chance to deepen appreciation and understanding of the game’s depth.
Whether you’re a seasoned player or a curious beginner, November 17th is the perfect day to immerse yourself in the world of shogi and experience the beauty and challenge of this traditional Japanese game.

■History
Miwa Gobanten is a long-established Go board manufacturer and shop in Nagoya, that was founded in 1917, with the history of more than 100 years. Now the workshop and shop are owned and operated by Mr. Keiji MIWA with his official artist name "KEIHO". He is the third generation owner, following Mr. Saburo MIWA as the first generation and Mr. Yasuharu MIWA as the second generation. The origin dates back to the first owner Mr Saburo MIWA, who was a craftsman of Hako Hibachi (box type brazier), loved Shogi and Igo very much. Saburo learnt from one craftsman in Osaka how to make Shogi and Go boards.

■Philosophy and Passion: Identifying wood quality and professional drying technique
We are highly proud of the quality of our boards but also all the process starting from selecting material wood through drying technique. Currently. The third generation owner Mr. Keiji MIWA has visited a lot of lumber markets all over Japan to see and feel as many as wood as possible with his own eyes and identification skill, even though many Japanese Go board manufacturers depend only on distributors to purchase material woods.
Supported by his long experience, Mr. Keiji MIWA acquired a special skill to identify the best wood to make best Go and Shogi boards, making their products truly valuable that we are able to proudly introduce to our customers. Especially we want to emphasize their splendid drying process. Miwa Gobanten has kept natural drying method, among them some of the wood are dried for more than 10 years long.

■Philosophy and Passion: Carving on legs
People say that carving on board legs always requires patience of craftsman. Carving work using a small knife is not a simple work. They finish carving and engraving just a few pieces in a day. Furthermore, it also requires additional polishing work that usually takes several days more to finish.

■Philosophy and Passion: tachimori
The symbol of high-end Go and Shogi board is Tachimori, making lines on board using a Japanese sword. Miwa Gobanten adopts a special Tachimori technique called ‘Yarai’. They apply Japanese lacquer on the tip of sword blade and gently press and print it down on the wooden board. This method enables them to make beautiful, gentle, smooth and elegant lines that can be only accomplished by a manual work. These boards with Tachimori lines are true value of Miwa Keiji as the top artisan in this field.

He has long experience in board making and knows how the weather and humidity will affect lacquer conditions. He accumulated all kinds of data so that he will able to fully utilize these information in his Tachimori process. Japanese lacquer as painting material is hard to handle as it is easily affected by temperature and humidity. By fully utilizing both of his experience and accumulated data, he always tries to produce the best of best quality Go and Shogi boards from his workshop.

Kaya is regarded as one of the best materials to make Go and Shogi boards, because of its good sound and feel when placing the stones, moderate elasticity, beautiful grain, color, gloss and luster, and aroma.
There are three types of kaya trees: "Hyuga Kaya" which is grown and harvested in a mountainous area in the southern part of Kyushu, Japan, "Japanese-grown honkaya" which is grown in other areas of Japan, and "Chinese-grown honkaya" which is mainly grown in Yunnan Province, China.
Generally, Japanese-grown honkaya is said to be better than Chinese honkaya in terms of quality.
The main difference between Japanese and Chinese kaya is the wood quality, caused by the natural environment where the tree was grown. Japanese kaya is usually lighter and more yellowish in color and has a unique wood aroma.
Depending on your preference, Japanese kaya is generally more highly valued than Chinese kaya, and the value and price of Japanese kaya tends to be higher due to the rarity of the wood.

In order to make a one-piece Go/Shogi board or board with legs, it is necessary to get a large tree between 200 and 800 years old.However, since logging is now prohibited in many forests in Japan, large-diameter kaya wood is almost impossible to find on the market.
The procurement of kaya is becoming more and more difficult and the Japanese honkaya Go board is getting rarer year on year.

*Go board materials are explained detail in "How to choose a board".
Please take a look.
Go to "How to choose a board".

”Kiura” cutting style applies to the center (core) of the log and itame (flat grain) appears on the top surface of the board.
The top surface has masame (straight grain) at both ends and an oval or bamboo shoot-like pattern or irregular itame pattern in the center.
Itame (flat grain) appears on the top surface.
This is the most valuable cutting style of the itame wood.

*Go board cutting styles are explained detail in "How to choose a board".
Please take a look.
Go to "How to choose a board".

Board craftsman Mr. Keiji MIWA made Japan grown Hon kaya 2.0-Sun (62mm thick) Kiura 1-piece Table Shogi Board
Item No.：88004
Size : (height × width × thick)
371 mm × 340 mm × 63 mm
Weight：About 3.9 kg
This board comes with Shogi piece stands.
Included：Certificate

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.