This awesome Kaya goban is 13cm thick, and stands 26cm tall with legs. It was refurbished in our Colorado workshop. It smells amazing.
It is a textbook species of Kaya, with these indicators:
- The Cut: it is a Plain-sawn board (Kiomote) to show off the heart of the tree.
- The Grain: the lines are wavy, unlike shin-kaya and most matsu. They are also quite thin and indicative of slow annual growth.
- The Weight: it is very dense, about 29 pounds (13kg) without legs on.
- The Size: You can see that the rings radiate outward instead of forming perfect semi-circles.
- The Color: A warm yellow, the heartwood is a uniform color. There is a lot of heathering, as this board was very near the heart of the tree.
- The Smell: It has an unmistakable sweet scent, like vanilla and cloves. It's been an absolute pleasure to fill the workshop with this aroma.
One corner suffered an forklift accident - it has been chamfered. Two other repairs were done previously, probably with the original construction: two knots were removed on the underside and replaced with kaya blocks; a crack in the endgrain was filled with a sliver of kaya, glued in and then planed flat. Stickers from the maker on the underside indicate that it completed in July 1990, and was priced at 200,000 yen (about $1700).
The underside of the board had been painted to cover up these repairs, which was the custom back in the 1980's. We refurbished the sides and bottom to remove that paint and the old finish. Then the board was treated with Monkey Butter, an in-house mix of beeswax and mineral oil. The playing surface was not refurbished, it has its original raised lacquer grid - this hand-lacquered technique is called tachimori (youtube link).
The legs have their original finish. The mortices (slots in the board) fit the tenons of the legs very snugly - please place them gently with a nylon or rubber hammer until they sit firmly.
Purchased new, such an item would cost about $3000-$5000 today (plus shipping).
Visit my Care Instructions to learn more about caring for our Vintage items.
Shipping Details:
Most of the shipping cost is included in the purchase price, with the remainder being added at checkout based on domestic / international rates from Colorado. Please allow 3 business days for handling, you will receive an email with tracking details. Board: 20x20x11in 33.3lb / Legs: 10x8x6in 1.9lb
