If all you are looking for is a board which has been around for a period of time such as 100 years, it's not that hard to find something in quite good shape if you look hard enough. Tough decision, buying an old and heavily used go board without touching it. I'm not saying there was anything spiritual about playing with those stones, but imagine the stories they could tell. The type and size of clamshells these stones were made may no longer exist on this planet. I was playing go with artifacts crafted by people who were probably dead before 1900. The go stones had not been mistreated, the set was just 100 years old.

I got to play with a set that was in that kind of condition. You know those photos you see on eBay every now and then of antique shell and slate stones? They're often in bad shape, discolored, stained and chipped. A go board that has been played on for decades and, assuming it was well cared for by someone who enjoyed doing the chores, it will have some unique character, if not exactly the class and sharpness of a pristene board. All go boards are going to be used items, in moderate to fair condition, in a few years. Again, as I said before, the real problem seems to be availability-not just affordability-anywhere outside of Japan.

Wiser, I think, to save up some more money and invest in a new goban. Those Kiku Imports goban are used and in only good to fair condition. I also own a 2-1/4' Agathis board from Yutopian, which works very well with my Korean Nano-Silver green-tinted glass stones, but for slate & shell stones you really need to have a Kaya or Katsura board underneath-it just looks, feels, and sounds right!! I like the darker wood of the Katsura boards, and the fact that it is a bit hardier than Hiba, Kaya, or Shin-Kaya means it will survive the knocks of life in better shape. I do not live near SF so I cannot give you an eye-witness appraisal, but I did purchase a vintage 2-1/4' Japanese Katsura table board from them after Christmas ('DAD!! I thought you said you weren't gonna buy any more go boards?!') for a modest sum that I am very pleased with.įor comparison, Yutopian recently updated their website and now lists a 5-1/2 inch Japanese Katsura floor goban for $810 ( ) which is approximately three times their price for a comparably sized Korean Agathis board. I've seen used Katsura floor gobans in your price range at Japanese importer in San Fran, Kiku Imports: Last edited by Erythen on Wed 4:10 am, edited 2 times in total. It seems the best cost for what you get and looks rather nice. If I had to choose one of the boards you listed, I'd pick the Agathis board from Yutopian. I have a friend in Japan that bought one of his boards and it's rather nice, not the same quality as Mr. Make sure your buying a Go and not Shogi board since he sells both. With surface shipping it'll be about the same price as some of the boards you're considering but at a much higher quality. He makes boards from Chinese Kaya and sells them on Yahoo Japan for a very decent price. There's a few services out there and I recommend shopping around.Ĭheck out this seller.

You'll need to go through a third party site if you're not actually in Japan. If your willing to wait a few months and don't mind dealing with a third party I recommend ordering a board through Yahoo Auctions Japan. Shin-Kaya (Alaskan Spruce) (I have no love for 'Shin' Kaya! ) Katsura (because of the size of the trees the cuts for Katsura are always Itame)Ħ. Japanese Kaya (Especially Kaya from Miyazaki-ken)ģ. In my opinion the quality of wood for Go Boards is as follows.ġ.

The wood is just too expensive to waste and it's quality demands masame. Kaya usually has a much closer grain than it's imitators due to long years of growth.īased on my observations, Mulberry bowls will almost never have an Itame cut. Going off of pictures alone, Shin-Kaya usually has a VERY pronounced and dark grain whereas Kaya is generally subtle and and light. I see sellers on Ebay all the time saying they're bowls are 'Mulberry' when they're just Chestnut or trying to pass Katsura or even worse Shin-Kaya as the real Kaya.Ī couple of points to watch out for (I know I'm going off on a tangent but bare with me). I don't think it's Shin-Kaya (the lines aren't well pronounced) but I'd avoid it nonetheless. That board you posted from Ebay looks dubious at best, though that could just be because it's old (Kaya darkens with age). A genuine kaya board of any serious quality is, and has to be, quite expensive. WARNING: Do not trust that eBay 'kaya' board to be real kaya.

Goban 19x19