7.95-sun Go Floor Board – Aya National Forest Kaya, Single-piece, Straight-grain cut

About the Wood

This board is made from a single plank of kaya harvested from Aya National Forest in Miyazaki Prefecture. The mountains of Aya sit along the central ridge of Kyushu, where steep terrain, rocky soil, and sharp seasonal temperature shifts slow the growth of the trees significantly. The result is tightly packed annual rings, dense grain, and a resin-rich redness that distinguishes this wood from kaya grown elsewhere. The character of the board begins with the land.

About the Straight Grain

This board is cut in masame — straight grain — where the log is cut toward the center, producing parallel lines running the full length of the board. Here, those lines are fine and even across the entire playing surface. Straight-grain boards are known for their formal, settled appearance and their dimensional stability over time. In this board, the grain does not draw attention to itself; it simply holds.

Thickness and Sound

The board is 7.95-sun thick (approximately 24.1 cm). For a floor-standing Go board, this is substantial. When a stone is placed, the sound travels slowly through the body of the wood. Kaya has a natural elasticity — the slight give under the stone, and the tone that follows, are qualities particular to this material. Greater thickness deepens that resonance.

About the Legs

The legs are hand-carved by Kumasu craftsmen in the shape of the gardenia fruit — a traditional form with a quiet meaning behind it. The gardenia is known in Japanese as kuchinashi, written with characters meaning “no mouth.” The shape carries the idea that others should not speak into a player’s game. Few craftsmen in Japan still carve these legs by hand.

Aging Over Time

Kaya changes gradually with use, deepening from its initial tone toward a warm amber. The resin-rich wood of Aya National Forest undergoes this transformation with particular richness. The redness present now will slowly settle into something quieter and deeper over the course of decades. That process belongs entirely to whoever lives with the board.

Choosing This Board

Single plank, straight grain, Aya National Forest kaya — 7.95-sun, no knots, fine grain, red tone. For all of these qualities to come together in one board is not common. There is no need to decide quickly. Please take your time with it.

Each board is one of a kind.
Please contact us before placing an order to confirm availability.
For orders shipped outside Japan, customs duties or local taxes may be charged upon delivery depending on the destination country.