This board was acquired from an antique shop in Kanagawa with an excellent reputation. They are a well-established and trustworthy shop, so I trust them when they say that the board is Kaya.
The board is a single-piece of Kaya, cut in the most-sought Quarter-sawn style (Shihou-masa). This cutting style avoids both the very center of the tree as well as the outer layer beyond the heartwood, so the result is an incredibly uniform piece of lumber that is only possible with trees of the largest diameter.
The tightly-packed and wavy lines of Kaya show in the endgrain, and the color is remarkable - this is perhaps best seen on the underside. Kaya is quite dense, so at 11.3 kilograms it is far heavier than a board of pine or spruce made of the same thickness.
The grid-lines are hand-lacquered tachimori. The edges and corners are in great shape, as it is protected by a paulownia lid. There is white wax residue on most of the surfaces, and this is a good sign that it has been cared for (or may even be unused). The wax can be cleaned with a soft cotton cloth, but we would recommend that you reapply a paste wax upon unboxing, especially if your climate differs much from Japan.
The board stands 24cm tall with the legs on. The legs are a warm color similar to the board, so they may also be Kaya or could be Katsura.
This is a Vintage product.
Shipping Details:
FedEx International Priority shipping from Japan (to almost everywhere) is already included in the purchase price. If you would like to Downgrade to shipping with Japan Post Surface, that can reduce the price by $180 but will be at your own risk - please contact us to arrange this. In either case, please allow one week for packing and Customs, then we will provide a tracking number from the shipping service that you can use to sign up for notifications.
