Very Rare Japanese Goban Genuine Miyazaki KAYA Signed Go Table Board 10"H

This Goban is truly special and very rare. It is made with genuine Kaya wood from Miyazaki prefecture from a tree at least 500 years old by ring count. Making this wood a sapling during the Muromachi period, surviving till 1925 when it was felled. All of the above information is written in calligraphy on the inside of the custom made Kiri wood lid.

This board was discovered in a warehouse of antiquities in southern Japan where it had been resting unused for over 50+ years. This is a 70-year-old kaya hon-goban, a true relic crafted from genuine aromatic Kaya. Measuring 15 5/8" by 16 1/8", standing 10" high with a board thickness of 5 3/8" and weighing 27lbs, it embodies the ideal proportions prized by serious Go players. The legs are carved from the same block, ensuring uniform resonance. The scent of kaya is unmistakable—subtle yet rich, with a sweetness that evokes both earth and sun-aged spiced timber. The aroma alone tells you: this is not a modern substitute, but a true treasure.

The grid lines are drawn in the traditional manner, by hand using a sword blade to apply the lacquer evenly and true. 

Over nearly a century of play, the surface has developed a golden patina, the result of oils from hands, gentle sunlight, and countless stones striking its face. It's covered in constellations of tiny dents — reminders of years of use. These impressions don’t mar the board; they animate it. No two game matches sound alike on a board like this.

When the cover is lifted, the room fills with the smell of kaya. It’s not overpowering, but it lingers—settling into the air like a memory. And with every move, every stone placed, that scent is stirred again. This board doesn’t just record games—it holds them.