This lovely set includes refurbished Go Stones and Go Bowls. The stones are size 34 Slate & Shell, about 9.5mm thick and 22mm wide.
The white “Legendary Go Stones” are made from Suwabute clamshells that were collected in the Okuraga-hama beach in Hyuga City (Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan). Due to depletion they can no longer be harvested and are increasingly rare. Unlike Mexican clamshell, which are taken from Giant Clams that grow quickly in warm waters, these clams are slow growing in a colder climate. For this reason they are more dense and exhibit some color instead of being pure white. The 180 pieces are quite thick at just over 9mm - this is very thick for Japanese stones. They have been been cleaned per our Care Instructions, including a week-long soak in h2o2 and a rinse with distilled water; afterwards they were air-dried and then buffed with paraffin wax.
Unfortunately, due to their age some of the clamshell stones have small defects. Suwabute shells may have other unique colorations and imperfections, and developing a cream-colored patina is common. This set is Blossom grade Suwabute, as you can tell by the spotty orange colorations.
The 181 slate stones are slightly wider, to account for black's slimming effect. They were washed with soapy water, rinsed with distilled water, but have not yet been buffed with mineral oil (we leave this choice to you).
The bowls are dark and beautiful, XL size. They were refurbished in our Colorado workshop, by being scrubbed clean of their original finish with a plastic abrasive before being treated with Monkey Butter. They fit the stones comfortably. The wood is most likely some kind of Kuwa (mulberry) or Keyaki (elm), possibly with a darkening agent or ebonizing process.
This is one of our Vintage products. If you want a new set of Hyuga Suwabute stones that will be pure white and without any wear & tear, we recommend visiting Mr. Kuroki's Shop where they are available in the $2000-$8000 range.
Shipping Details:
This item ships from Colorado, USA. Please allow 3 business days for handling, then you will receive a notification with the tracking details. Shipping box: TBD
