GBC-609-11 Japan-grown Kaya Go board with legs Ten-masa 5.6-Sun No.71152

This is a substantial and impressively thick Go board with a thickness of 5.6-Sun (approx. 172 mm).
The grid lines are beautifully finished using the traditional Tachi-mori technique with genuine Japanese lacquer.
Although there are some minor flaws, this is a beautiful Go board featuring the distinctive color of Japanese Kaya and the elegant Ten-masa grain.

There are scratches on the bottom surface and legs, filled tar spots on the bottom surface and cutting sides, and an intergrown knot and stains on the sides.
*Comes with a cloth cover and paulownia cover.
*Please refer to the images for details.

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".

"Ten-masa" cutting style has masame (straight grain) only on the top surface of the board.
The bottom surface has itame (flat grain).
The general masame boards belong to this type.
The top surface is beautifully finished so the ten-masa board is highly valued.

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

• Japan-grown Kaya Go board with legs Ten-masa 5.6-Sun
  Product No.: No.71152
  Size：456 mm × 424 mm × 172 mm × 121 mm
  Weight：About 20.4 kg
  *Comes with a cloth cover, Paulownia cover
• 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.