This goban set came to Baduk Club from a Go and Shogi reseller in Kanagawa. According the seller, the set was originally purchased in 1978.
The board is 17cm thick, and stands 29cm tall on legs. It has an even yellow color typical of Shinkaya (Alaskan Spruce), and it weighs 14kg. It is a quarter-sawn board, a Shihou-masa cut. This cutting style creates straight lines on all of the surfaces, so the board is easy on the eyes and no cross-grain heartwood interferes with the clean look. This is the highest-rated cut for go boards.
The board edges are in good condition, but small impacts have affected the corners. Overall it is in excellent condition for a board that is 45 years old, but some wear is to be expected. It would be good to clean and wax the board, unless your climate is as humid as Japan's. Visit my Care Instructions to learn more. The legs are a darker color and are probably Katsura - they are in very good shape and they feature a double-shoulder which is a great sign of quality.
The bowls are Karin (Quince). Their finish has worn in spots and could stand to be refurbished. The previous owner's name is written on the underside.
The stones are slate and shell, about size 34, a full set plus two spares of each color. The black are 9.5-9.7mm. The clamshell stones are 9.2-9.4mm and are mostly moon-grade with some snow-grade.
This is a Vintage item.
Shipping Details:
FedEx International Priority shipping from Japan (to nearly anywhere) is already included. This service reduces the actual transit time to only 5 business days, and also allows more room for padding in order to avoid shipping damage. Please allow a week for Customs preparations, then a FedEx tracking number will be provided that you can use to sign up for notifications.
Because of the quality of this set, Surface shipping is not recommended, but it is possible (in 2 parcels with Japan Post) if you wish to reduce the cost by about $120. Contact us with the chat widget to make such arrangements.
