It's such a common perception that slate and shell is "the" material for go stones. All thanks to the fact that go was introduced to the West through Japan. Personally, not being Japanese, if I wanted a "top quality" set I would go for semi-precious stones of some kind. Shell chips and gets yellow with age and use, is very expensive compared to almost anything else, and isn't very pretty unless it's top grade (low grade shell - some stones have a few lines, others have almost no lines at all, the variation is a bit annoying).

*daydreams about http://www.algorithmicartisan.com/gostones/ *

I love my low-grade slate and shell. They feel great and look good. Some have lines and some don't, but that doesn't bother me too much. The overall quality of the stones is great.

All of my white stones (from kurokigoishiten) have lines on one side and a blank face on the other. I bought them a few years ago, so I don't remember 100% whether they're flower grade or moon grade, but I rather doubt I would have been able to save up enough to afford moon grade at the time.

If they are moon grade and that's why they all have lines, I'm glad I saved up - I definitely like them. But I really think they're jitsuyo, so maybe I'm just lucky.

*daydreams about http://www.algorithmicartisan.com/gostones/ *[/quote]

Okay I will definitely concede on the fact that there are other options in terms of stone selection such as onyx, agate, jade and cat's eye stones. I guess the "high-end" stones end up being a preference as to the feel and coloring of the stones. As mentioned though, if you want to go classic then yeah "slate and shell" is the way to go.

I also got some advice about the grade of the stones, and some actually prefer the lower end (Jitsuyo) due to the fact there are more pattern variations which to them make it seem a lot more interesting. I think it's an excellent case and point to demonstrate that you don't always need to the most expensive one for it to be suited to your needs.


Just wanted to clarify that I don't have anything against grass bowls, they are actually quite practical and the tightness of the lids is one thing wooden bowls don't have. I guess I'm super used to the classic look of the wooden board and bowls. Again, nothing against the grass bowls. =D

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I would advise the original poster to avoid wasting money on a lesser quality set. A high quality set will greatly enhance your enjoyment of the game. If you love Go you'll never regret it, even for a single instant.

Hell All:

As for Shodan Imports. Does anyone know if they are still in business. They do not answer their telephones, nor do they answer their emails. They seem to have a nice web site but that is more a function of the web designer than the person or persons who "own" the shop. I am still looking for a nice Goban and it looks like I will go with Kiseido. As for Kiroki. Hist site is nice. Every time I ask for a board he tells me it is "sold out". I think he needs someone to update his web site. It is really sad that there are so few places for someone from the Easter US to buy a nice Goban. By the way, I looked at Yellow Mountain and there equipment is not what I am looking for.
If anyone has any ideas..I will listen. I even got a resone to my last post for a goban frome someone on 19x19 and he promised to send me pictures. They never came. I am really frustrated.

In Gote,

Lance

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Lance Martin

How long has it been since you tried contacting Shodan Imports? Note that it is a small operation, and Chuck (the owner) may be out on vacation, especially given the time of year. Still, it would have been wise to notify potential customers of that fact. Regarding the website, I believe Chuck was pretty involved in its creation--he is also a (the?) creator of igolocal.net, and he offered this discussion group a home when godiscussions.com.

In short, if it has only been a day or two, I would encourage you to try keep trying him. He has always been very responsive to my inquiries and is easy to deal with.

Of course, Kiseido runs a good shop too.

I doubt that Kuroki Goishiten is completely sold out of go boards, stones and bowls. You could try describing what you want and letting Mr. Kuroki tell you what he has. He can send you photos if you wish. In my opinion if you are getting a board with legs you should get 4-sun or thicker. The 2-sun or 3-sun boards just look kind of insubstantial to me. Also, I don't think the sound the thinner boards make when a stone is played is as satisfying as the sound of the 4-sun and up boards. Speaking of sound, again in my opinion you should avoid spruce (= shin kaya). It is too soft and stones make more of a "thunk" than a "click". Katsura, hiba, and real kaya are all better.

Hi All:

Thanks for all the advice. I was a chess fanatic. I had bought many chess set from a place called 'The House of Staunton'. This is also a small business. The operant word is business. When I called during business hours there was someeone always around to answer my questions. When I was looking for a good set they would send me a piece so I could examine the workmanship. Thjis would occur within 2 days. Now that I buy Go books i call Kiseido during business hours and Catherine is always there to answer my queszstions and get my order out the next day. The same with Laura from Slate and Shell. They are both highly recommended and they too are small operations. This is not the first time I have had a problem getting a response from 'Chuck'. If he is on vacation he should indicate that on his web site. It has been a week since I called him and sent him an email. Obviously, he is either on vacation or out of business. I should think the former is more likely. This is not the way to run a business. As for Mr. Kuroki, I am only interested in a Goban with legs and I am looking at a 6 sun or greater. He has a site with many items marked 'sold out'. But when I query him about a board that is supposedly still in stock because it is not marked 'sold out' than there is no reason he should tell me that he does not have the item any longer. Yet that is exactly what happened. I am just not used to these kind of businesses. It is sad that we in the West, have to put up with obstacles that I am sure are not problems if we lived in Asian countries. And in my mind these companies are bad for our hobby and should take their web sites down. You know, when I wanted to buy stones I saw the advertisement here from Peter Shotwell. From my first email until the stones arrived at my door was under a week, And Peter does not run a business. But maybe he should. He would do a better job that either Chuck or Kuroki.

Still in Gote,

Lance

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Lance Martin

Mr. Kuroki runs one of the most, (likely THE most,) reputable go shop in all of Japan - indeed in the WORLD. His wide selection is excellent, and the quality of his products is second to none. While it is true that he is not fluent in English, he does respond within one or two days of web inquiries. I don't know Mr. Shotwell, but I would be surprised to find that he was more prominent than Kuroki as businessman and purveyor to the go playing community. And Mr. Shotwell probably cannot craft the finest stones and gobans available. Mr. Kuroki does, and in the finest fashion! Although his website may not be up-to-date by a few days or more, KGT has stock on hand that never even makes it onto the pictured inventory. Let there be no doubt, if you have the money, he has the equipment.

Incidentally, I also play chess, and bought a mammoth ivory club sized chess set from House of Staunton. The knights fell apart after a few weeks of casual play, and I went through weeks of returning various faulty and broken pieces, the wrong chests, etc. for which I paid dearly in cash, frustration, and disappointment. I finally settled on "just barely suitable" replacements after being sent cracked and unmatched bits over and over. None of that misery with KGT, I got what I paid for the first time, and it was perfect right out of the box.

Hi GoWest:

I will take your word for it about Mr. Kuroki. But I hope you understand my frustration when Gobans on the site are not available and listed as 'for sale'. I am really sorry about your experience with The House of Staunton. I have purchased 3 sets from them and only had one problem which was corrected in two days without any questions. I admit I never purchased an ivory set from them. But then again I have never played with an ivory set and they are known for their wooden Staunton sets and are one of the only outlets in the USA for Jaques of London. One of the sets I purchased was a Jaques and, of course they are just an outlet and I never had a problem with that set. If it makes you feel any better the problem that I mentioned was also with a knight. But I called them on a Monday and my new piece was delivered with no questions asked on Thursday. You are probably right in that the major problem in my dealing with Mr. Kuroki is the time difference between Eastern USA and Japan. Also I have never tried to call him and that might be my next step. I apologize if I have intimated that he is not a good businessman. It was only my frustration venting because I really want to make a purchase and it is harder than dealing with companies like Kiseido or Slate and Shell. Once again, my apologies if anyone was offended by my post.

All the Best,

Lance

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Lance Martin

That's an interesting twist in the go vs. chess debate - go is better because it doesn't have knights that fall apart...

If you really want the best and you have the means, (meaning $$$$$$ to spend on your hobbies), then I'm pretty sure these are still in stock: http://www.kurokigoishi.co.jp/english/g ... board.html

I highly recommend Item No. EA102 on that page.

Should you obtain such a goban then even the stones you purchased from Mr. Shotwell aren't quite nice enough. Fortunately, Kuroki san has these: http://www.kurokigoishi.co.jp/english/g ... nes02.html

Of course it wouldn't be right to put such exquisite stones in anything less than bowls such as these: http://www.kurokigoishi.co.jp/english/g ... bowls.html




If you buy a complete set from those pages I bet he might even give you free shipping...

Hi Imabuddha:

I have to say that if I bought the set that you pointed out I would expect Mr. Kuroki to personally delivver it to my house and bring Cho Chikun over to play with me for a couple of days. After that he could remain in my house because it would have been given to him in order to pay for the equipment. Of course, I would have to finish off my mortgage prior to the sale. After that, I wonder if the equipmnet would fit in my car where I will be living with no money and not really enough room in my car to play on my new equipment. But I do appreciate your suggestion and take it in the manner in which it was worded. By the way, if I do win today's $360,000,000 lottery I promise you that these exact items will be my first purchase.

Thank you for such a meaningful and helpful sugestion,

Lance

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Lance Martin

Hi Lance,

Unless you speak Japanese, calling KGT on the phone would prove fruitless. He has to have e-mail messages translated, which usually takes him 24 hours or so. If you want a reasonably nice kaya floor goban, tell him how much you'd like to spend and ask him to send you photos of what he has in stock at the time.

On the other hand, if you have a little over one third of a million dollars to spend on the items listed above, you might like to also take a three month excursion, view the cherry blossoms, eat sushi, and hire a full time 7 dan personal translator. While you're there, take lots of pics, and send us each a bottle of sake!

A third of a million dollars would get you a nice set but probably not the very finest quality. Last time I was in Japan I saw a board that was priced at 22,000,000 JPY (USD 250,000) mulberry bowls priced at USD 12,500 and slate and shell stones priced at USD 31250 at the current rate of exchange. These items were not the most rare or expensive available.

Hello! I haven't gone anywhere, but I was out of the office for the christmas holidays. You should be able to leave a message for me if I'm not at the computer to answer the phone at the moment. Email is always good, also.

I believe I actually did talk to you though, maybe it was a while after you posted this. Anyway, I'm here and not going anywhere. Cheers!

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