This autographed go board came to Baduk Club from a go dealer in Hyuga, Japan. It comes with an autographed fan from the Nihon Kiin.
The board was signed by the 9dan professional player Cho Chikun (趙治勲). At the top he has inscribed the calligraphy 'Mirror' (明鏡), probably a reference to how Go is a Mirror for the mind.
Wikipedia has an extensive article about Cho Chikun, as he is one of the greatest players of our time with 76 total titles. In fact, he won over 60% of his 125 title matches, earning many nicknames including "The 7th Game Demon." He retains the title 25th Honorary Honinbo, on account of having won that tournament more than ten times.
The autograph is in excellent shape, and the board has been cleaned around it to preserve it. We can provide examples of previous autographs he has done to verify the authenticity of his signature.
A folding fan from he Nihon Kiin is included. This is part of the Meijin series so it was likely produced when Cho Chikun held that title (1980-1984 & 1996-1999). It also carries his autograph on the left side. In the center some calligraphy looks like "風颯颯" (rustling wind).
I like Cho Chikun a lot, so if you also follow him then you may also be interested in this 50mb scan, a copy of 28 weekly newspaper columns about Cho Chikun from 2020 and 2021 which covered interesting episodes (some as far back as 60 years ago) in his long career, along with illustrative photos.
Back to the board, though: The board itself has a warm color heartwood. It has many of the hallmarks of Katsura, with tight grain pattern and an orange color that is consistent across the entire board. It is a Kiura cut, the most preferred style for a Plain-sawn board. This cutting style shows off the growth rings of the tree on the ends where the players will sit, and the sides of the board will have straight lines. Soft heartwood ripples ("flame") appear on the playing surface, giving the impression of wind on water. The grid is the traditional raised-lacquer style.
The corners and edges do have some small issues. One corner in particular looks more dented. A cloth cover and Paulownia lid are included.
Shipping Details:
FedEx International Priority shipping from Japan (to almost everywhere) is already included in the purchase price. This service reduces the shipping time to only 5 business days. Please allow up to 1 week for us to pack your order and complete the Customs forms, then we will email you tracking notifications.
