This gorgeous goban set came to Baduk Club from an antique dealer in Hiroshima, Japan. The board is 13cm thick, and has a lovely brown tone. It comes with a cloth cover and paulownia lid. It stands 25cm tall with legs on and weighs 14kg. It looks like Kaya, but could be something else like a pale Katsura. It does not have the angular heartwood of pine or spruce. The board carries a sticker indicating that the proper permits were held to harvest the tree that it came from.
The board is a Kiomote cut, showing off the heart of the tree. Some small knots prevented a Kiura presentation, as you can see those on the underside. A center cut like this leaves beautiful end-grain where both players will sit, and straight lines along each side. This is known to woodworkers as a Plain-sawn board. The top and bottom have cross-grains in unique patterns like a fingerprint. based on the heartwood. The corners and edges are all quite good. The protective paulownia lid has done its job.
The bowls also come with a protective paulownia box. This modern design minimizes exposure to moisture, light, dust, and pests. The bowls are size XL keyaki.
The stones are size 38, a full set plus a spare of each color. The stones look snow-grade, and may even be Japanese Suwabute stones. They are in need of a good cleaning.
This is a Vintage item.
Shipping Details:
Already included in the price is the cost of FedEx International Priority shipping from Japan (to nearly anywhere). 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.
