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Hon Kaya Or Shin Kaya? Things To Consider When Buying A High Quality Igo Board Or Shogi Board

By David Hurley

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Published: 22May2011
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If you are thinking about buying a high quality shogi board or igo board, you need to consider the type of wood that it has been made of so that you can make an informed purchase.

Two Types Of "Kaya"

The highest quality igo and shogi boards are made of "kaya". Kaya is sometimes referred to as "hon kaya", i.e. "real Japanese nutmeg". That is because another type of wood, referred to as "shin kaya", is used as an alternative material for shogi and igo boards.

I'll talk about "shin kaya" later. First let's look in more detail at "hon kaya".

"Hon Kaya"

Hon Kaya, or just "kaya", is known as the "Japanese Nutmeg" in English. Its Latin name is "Torreya nucifera". Kaya is a slow-growing evergreen which is found in southern Japan and Jeju Island off the south coast of Korea. Japanese nutmeg trees are slow growing but they can reach 25 m in height and up to 1.5 m in diameter. Kaya wood is prized for its beautiful yellow-gold color, fine grain, and in the case of igo boards, it is noted for the quality of the sound you get when placing stones on the surface of the board.

After cutting, Kaya wood is dried for between six months and seven years depending on the quality of the wood and the board that it is be produced from it. Usually, only about twenty percent of the wood will dry without cracking.

Also, hon kaya trees are now a protected species in Japan and can only be used for the manufacture of igo and shogi boards after they have died.

The very high prices that these boards command can be appreciated when you consider the combination of factors such as the slow growth of the trees, the limited availability of newly cut wood, the length of time needed to dry the wood and the amount of wood that is lost in the drying process, to say nothing of the craftsmanship that goes into making the board and the beauty of the finished product.

Once you possess a kaya board you will come to appreciate it for its fine grain, its sheer physical presence, and the beautiful sheen it acquires with age and use. A kaya board will outlast the centuries.

There are two types of kaya board, the higher class masame board, with the grain running straight across the top of the board, and the lower class itame, with an irregular grain pattern running across the board.

Actually, there are several sub-classes of kaya board:

1. masame, shihou-masa - cut from a tree at least 1.2 meters in diameter.

2. masame, tenchi-masa - even texture & grain.

3. masame, ten-masa - even texture & grain on top only.

4. ura itame - no surface defects. Grain on the player-sides forms the bottom half of a semi circle.

5. omote itame - surface defects. Grain on the player-sides forms the top half of a semi circle.

Hon Kaya Price Range

Prices for a kaya shogi or igo board with four carved legs range from $2,000 to $25,000 or even more, depending on the rank of the board and the thickness of the wood. Bear in mind, these boards have been painstakingly created out of single blocks of a rare, slow-growing and precious wood with an 80% attrition rate for wood selected as possible board material.

"Shin Kaya"

"Shin" means "new" in Japanese, but "shin kaya" wood is not a "new" form of slow-growing Japanese Nutmeg at all. Instead, it is White Spruce (picea glauca) from Alaska, Tibet or Siberia. It is a good quality and cheaper alternative to the expensive "hon kaya" boards.

Shin kaya has a straight-grain that runs across the top of the board, but the grain is coarser than that of hon kaya. Also, the colour is not so warm. Even so, a shin kaya board makes for a high quality playing surface. You can expect to pay from $300 up to $1000 for a shin kaya board mounted on four carved legs.

"Katsura"

Another cheap alternative to "hon kaya" is katsura ("cercidiphyllum japonicum" or "Japanese Judas-tree") is native to Japan and China. It is deciduous and grows up to 10 meters in light Asian woodlands. Katsura boards are usually "itame" in designation. They lack the fine grain and the warmth of kaya boards.

So, if you want a top quality igo board or shogi board, and if you can afford it, you will want it to be made of "hon kaya" and nothing less. Failing that, look out for a good quality shin kaya board.

David Hurley lives in Japan and runs a website supplying Japanese games and goods including Japanese shogi and igo sets and accessories direct to customers all over the world, at => Japanese-Games-Shop.com .

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