This awesome Kaya goban is 19.5cm thick, and stands 32cm tall with legs. The underside has a handsomely deep navel and an inscription that reads 'Matsumoto Kenji, July 8th 1981.'
It is a textbook species of Kaya, with these indicators:
- The Cut: it is a Plain-sawn board (Kiura) to show off the heart of the tree.
- The Grain: the lines are wavy and thin, indicative of slow annual growth.
- The Weight: it is very dense, over 20kg with legs on.
- The Size: You can see that the rings are flat, not tight semi-circles.
- The Color: A warm orange, the heartwood is a uniform color. Darker areas are caused by impurities in the wood.
- The Smell: It has an unmistakable sweet scent, like vanilla and cloves.
The playing surface has its original raised lacquer grid - this hand-lacquered technique is called tachimori (youtube link). Kaya is soft, so slamming a stone down will create a small mark on the surface; when this occurs regularly, the result is that the top of the board will be covered in pock marks; however, the top of this board has a relatively low number of these marks.
Pith rays in the endgrain are old pathways used by the tree to transfer water internally. Cracks can form along these lines without proper care. Kaya boards are cured extensively, so serious cracks are unlikely, Some pith rays in the endgrain have hairline cracks, but the board is very stable. Larger cracks did exist, but those were dealt with at the time of the board's construction - slivers of wood were glued into the cracks and sanded clean. The board and legs have their original wax finish.
The legs have proud shoulders that come to modest points. The tenons of the legs fit snugly into the board, and have been marked to match the mortises where they fit - if you remove them, you can replace them gently with a nylon or rubber hammer. For the safety of the board the legs will be shipped separately at our expense.
Purchased new, such an item would cost about $4000-$6000 today (plus shipping). A used board like this has had decades to cure without cracking, so in some ways it is a superior product.
Visit my Care Instructions to learn more about caring for our Vintage items.
Shipping Details:
This item will ship from Colorado, USA. Please allow 3 business days for handling, then we will email you the tracking details. Box: TBD. Staff note: Also listed on Ebay.
