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Go Equipment Bargains


Kiseido has been able to obtain a high-quality traditional go board, a kaya table board, some shell and slate stones, and mulberry bowls at a fraction of what they would normally cost. The boards and bowls have defects (described below for each item) that make them difficult to sell in the usual outlets in Japan.

Airmail shipping and handling charges are included in the price. These items are available only from Kiseido's head office in Japan.

To order, click box after prices for items you wish to order, then scroll to
the end and click the "Order Selection Completed" button.

You may also email your order to kiseido@yk.rim.or.jp



Kaya Go Boards


Item Regular Price Discounted Discount Price Equivalent Yen Price     
                        
                        
B214-1: Table Go Board (Kaya 5cm)     $1,000+ $  900
$  725
¥  96,000
¥  75,000

Two-inch kaya boards are ideal for playing on tables, whereas boards with legs are the preferred choice when playing games sitting on the floor or on low coffee tables. This beautiful board is made of four pieces of wood, expertly joined together and finished by a master craftsman. Its surface has the highly-prized masame grain that runs straight across the top of the board. This particular board has a black line that starts at the bottom about two inches from one of the sides. It appears as a very slight blemish at the side at which it ends. Other than that, It is completely invisible when placed on a table with the playing surface face up.



Item Regular Price Discount Price Equivalent Yen Price     
                        
                        
B226-2: Shihomasa Kaya Go Board with legs (20.4cm thick)     $60,000+ $9,000 ¥950,000

The board being offered here has the highly prized shiho-masa grain (straight grain on four sides: the top, the bottom, and two sides). This grain pattern is the most difficult to obtain when cutting the tree trunk into blocks for go boards. It is also the cut most highly prized by go-board connoisseurs, even higher than tenchimasa boards. This cut is also the most resistant to warping. To obtain a shiho-masa board, the tree has to be quite large and the artisan might have to go through many trees before finding one to make such a board, especially one as thick as this particular board. Even when a shiho-masa board can be made, it often happens that there are flaws in the wood, such as knots, discolorations, blemishes, etc., that were impossible to anticipate when deciding how to cut up the tree trunk for go boards. These are some of the reasons why shiho-masa boards, if they can be found, are usually so expensive.

After the board displayed here was cut, a knot going from one side to the opposite one was found (see photos). There is no danger that this knot will develop into a crack because it has been standing as a finished go board for about 28 years. (The tree was harvested in 1971, and its age was estimated to be about 600 years.) Moreover, because of the time elapsed since it was finished, no other problems, such as warping or cracking will develop.

If you wish to purchase this board, please consult with our head office first.




Shell & Slate Go Stones


From time to time Kiseido is offered thick shell and slate stones by their manufacturers at incredible discounts, so Kiseido is able to pass on these discounts to our customers. The ones below are also discounted from the prices offered at our special sale at http://www.kiseido.com/equipmentsale.htm. The following sets are currently available. Note that prices for S44J and S42Y include keyaki bowls that can accommodate these extra large stones.


Item Regular Price Discounted Discount Price Equivalent Yen Price     
                        
S44J: Shell & Slate Yuki Stones 12.5mm $1,800 $   900
$   700
¥  96,000
¥  75,000
                   
S42Y: Shell & Slate Yuki Stones 11.9mm $3,000 $ 1,500
$ 1,150
¥160,000
¥120,000
                   
S40Y: Shell & Slate Yuki Stones 11.3mm $2,500 $1,500
$1,000
¥160,000
¥105,000
                   
S40J: Shell & Slate Jitsuyo Stones 11.3mm $   850 $   510
     450
¥  54,000
    45,000
                   
S39J: Shell & Slate Jitsuyo Stones 11.0mm $   650 $   390
     360
¥  41,000
    36,000
                   
S38Y: Shell & Slate Yuki Stones 10.7mm $1,500 $   900
$   725
¥  96,000
¥  75,000



Island Mulberry Bowls


Item Regular Price Discount Price Equivalent Yen Price     
                        
                        
T381-2EL: Mikura Island Mulberry Go Bowls $  1,700 $  830 ¥  86,000

Mulberry bowls, in particular, the mulberry with the reddish hue that comes from the two neighboring islands of Miyake and Mikura near Tokyo are the preferred choice of go-equipment connoisseurs. Many of the bowls have markings or prominent grain patterns which glisten when they are rotated in the light, turning the colorations into a golden hue.

Unfortunately, a volcano erupted on Miyake island about five years ago that devastated the mulberry trees there, and the ash that fell on Mikura island did a lot of damage to the trees there as well. Consequently, there are not many of these mulberry bowls left, and the finest among them are quite expensive. (Click here to view some of these bowls.)

The set being offered here is made of mulberry from Mikura Island. It holds up to 11.3 mm stones. By clicking the highlighted code number above you can see two different sides of these bowls.

Both bowls have beautiful markings which are highly prized, but the one on the left has black lines outlining a knot in the wood.




Item Regular Price Discount Price Equivalent Yen Price     
                        
                        
T381-3EL: Mikura Island Mulberry Go Bowls $  1,400 $  780 ¥  83,000

This set of mulberry bowls was made from the wood of a tree harvested on Miyake Island. It has a light golden hue that glistens when rotated in the light. They hold up to 10.7mm stones. By clicking the highlighted code number above you can see two different sides of these bowls.

The bowl on the left has some dark spots and lines on one side. The one on the right has a dark streak down one side and thin dark streaks on the knotted part (not seen in the photos).



Please note that your credit card will be charged in Japanese yen, approximately equivalent (rounded off) to the discounted US dollar price. If you prefer, you may send your card information by FAX (+81-467-28-5811), by phone (+81-467-28-5815), or by e-mail: kiseido@yk.rim.or.jp in two or three separate mailings for security. You may also airmail this information to our head office at



     Kiseido
     Kagawa 3-10-20
     Chigasaki-shi, Kanagawa-ken
     Japan 253-0082