Help identifying GO set from Japan

bogiesan · Post by **bogiesan** » Mon Sep 30, 2019 5:29 am

Newbie wrote:Thank you for the incredible amount of information and background! Really learning a lot about this set and the craftmanship that goes into them. I have been moving round a lot recently and will unpack the set again and look at it with all the new information in mind.

I can’t identify the board but those old bowls are most likely chestnut

My more recent acquisitions of used go gear were found on Etsy,eBay, and craigslist. They each exhibit interesting effects of many years of engaged play but not necessarily the care these artifacts deserved. As they say on Antique Roadshow, don’t touch the patina! Let the buyer decide how to clean or rehabilitate the set.

You could always learn to play go. Takes patience. Guaranteed you would gain a new interest in the set.

Please post an update as this story continues to unfold.

jackrimonious · Post by **jackrimonious** » Mon Sep 30, 2019 11:26 am

Hey! I've been looking for something like this for about a year or so - I don't know if you're still hoping to sell it, but let me know if you'd want to discuss. I'm also a relative novice who's been getting into Go more, so I will definitely be putting it to good use, but I'm not an expert in how much it's worth.

gowan · Post by **gowan** » Tue Oct 01, 2019 1:03 pm

I'd say the bowls are definitely chestnut. I have a pair of chestnut bowls that I "polished" using some kind of oil based furniture polish which we used on out dining room table. The bowls became a uniform brown color; the whitish following the grain lines was lost, something I don't mind at all. One thing to consider is whether oil polish has been used on the inside of the bowls. Any kind of oil will be bad for the shell stones. Indeed, the wood of any bowls intended for use with shell stones have to be well sealed so that resin from the wood doesn't stain the stones. The stones have normal wear and staining from skin oil, what you might call a patina of use. I couldn't say much definitely about the board. I wouldn't consider the set a collectible item, but the whole set looks eminently usable, a great set for regular playing.

edit P.S. I just looked at the face of the board in the close-up photo of the stones in a bowl and I see almost no grain lines on the face, which tells me the board is not kaya or spruce or hiba. It might be katsura or agathis. I saw in Japan a board of similar thickness, made out of ginkgo wood, that looked similar.

Ferran · Post by **Ferran** » Wed Oct 02, 2019 12:38 am

gowan wrote:I saw in Japan a board of similar thickness, made out of ginkgo wood, that looked similar.

I have a ginkgo wood board that has very clear lines. I'll try to post a pic later.

Take care

Ferran · Post by **Ferran** » Thu Oct 03, 2019 9:08 am

Life In 19x19

Help identifying GO set from Japan

Re: Help identifying GO set from Japan

Re: Help identifying GO set from Japan

Re: Help identifying GO set from Japan

Re: Help identifying GO set from Japan

Re: Help identifying GO set from Japan