This 20cm thick goban came to Baduk Club from a vintage shop in Okayama, Japan. They specialize in old toys, games, and musical instruments. This was a rather unusually large item for them.
Although it has a nice yellow color, the board is not as dense as Kaya, so it is most likely Shinkaya (Alaskan Spruce). It is the highest grade of cuts, in a quarter-sawn style with straight lines on every single face. This type of board can only be made with the thickest of trees, so the fast-growing spruce is an excellent source. The grid-lines are slightly raised, a result of being hand-lacquered with the tachimori technique.
The board has good signs of white wax residue. Once a new layer of wax paste has been applied, this board will really have a great luster. The legs have a double-shoulder, a great sign of quality.
The board is free of major defects like dents. There may be slight darkening on the underside where human hands moving the board over time have removed the wax coating. Visit my Care Instructions to learn more about re-waxing a board.
This is a Vintage product.
Shipping Details:
FedEx International Priority shipping to the US from Japan is already included in the purchase price for free, and this reduces the actual transit time to only 5 business days. Please allow up to a week for handling and Customs, then a FedEx tracking number will be emailed to you.
