Life In 19x19

I'm curious, how negotiable are the prices? Anyone have any experience in haggling with Mr. Kuroki?

Cloud E Head wrote:I'm curious, how negotiable are the prices? Anyone have any experience in haggling with Mr. Kuroki?

I didn't try to negotiate. The prices seemed fair, and the service and packing were wonderful. In addition, he sent me a Nihon Ki-In calendar at the end of the year; a nice touch.

Cloud E Head wrote:I'm curious, how negotiable are the prices? Anyone have any experience in haggling with Mr. Kuroki?

He definitely likes to do business. He'll put together a great package for you if you show genuine interest.

I didn't try to haggle when I bought a set of stones and bowls because the price was lower than several other sources for those items. As it turned out, the quality of the stuff I bought was first rate and the service was excellent.

I had the same experiences with Mr. Kuroki as mentioned by kirkmc, km1000, and gowan.
Kuroki's shell stones are superb. If you are not sure which size you want,
you can order sample sets (10 stones each package), Standard Grade (jitsuyo).
It may take some time of regular use to really find out your preferred size and grade.

My son and I wanted to learn to play. He is only 8 years old and after two years we are still complete beginners, but really enjoy playing. I had read about KGT and decided to buy from them based on their excellent reputation. Mr. Kuroki was a pleasure to deal with. I gave him my budget and asked him to choose a goban, bowls and stones that would be appropriately matched. He selected this 6.7 sun kaya tenchimasa board, Mikura Island mulberry bowls and size 34 snow grade stones. It arrived via airmail within a week. It exceeded my expectations in every way, and is a flawless and cherished piece of functional art which may be used for generations.

It's lovely. The bamboo mat, however, isn't meant to go under a floor board, but under a table board so you don't put the wood directly on a table.

kirkmc wrote:It's lovely. The bamboo mat, however, isn't meant to go under a floor board, but under a table board so you don't put the wood directly on a table.

Mr Kuroki sent the tatami as a little bonus. If I had my wishes, it would cover the entire floor. : )
Apparently there is limited demand for kaya floor gobans, which is good, I suppose, as I understand there aren't going to be very many available any more.
I would not like to buy this set today at 85 JPY/USD. When I ordered from KGT, the exchange rate was 120 JPY/USD.

go west young man wrote:

kirkmc wrote:It's lovely. The bamboo mat, however, isn't meant to go under a floor board, but under a table board so you don't put the wood directly on a table.

Mr Kuroki sent the tatami as a little bonus. If I had my wishes, it would cover the entire floor. : )

The kind of mat you put on a floor is a couple of inches thick. It's not just the bamboo, but has a very strong body to make it solid. I have one of the ones in the picture, under my table board. It's good, because it protects the board and my desk. If I hadn't gotten one, I'd use a cloth under the board.

Beautiful set! Did you get a paulownia wood cover for the board? The dollar-yen exchange rate sure is discouraging right now. I bought my kaya board, mulberry bowls and Japanese clam stones around 1960 when the exchange rate was hugely more favorable to the dollar.

Yes, Mr Kuroki included a yellow cloth goban cover and paulownia cases for the equipment. They provide a great deal of protection. I don't know if the silk might be considered inappropriate, but I put it under the bowls.

go west young man wrote:Yes, Mr Kuroki included a yellow cloth goban cover and paulownia cases for the equipment. They provide a great deal of protection. I don't know if the silk might be considered inappropriate, but I put it under the bowls.

Nice pictures! Playing with equipment like this is inspiring.

go west young man wrote:My son and I wanted to learn to play. He is only 8 years old and after two years we are still complete beginners, but really enjoy playing. I had read about KGT and decided to buy from them based on their excellent reputation. Mr. Kuroki was a pleasure to deal with. I gave him my budget and asked him to choose a goban, bowls and stones that would be appropriately matched. He selected this 6.7 sun kaya tenchimasa board, Mikura Island mulberry bowls and size 34 snow grade stones. It arrived via airmail within a week. It exceeded my expectations in every way, and is a flawless and cherished piece of functional art which may be used for generations.

Can I come over and play? A stunning set!

deja wrote:Can I come over and play? A stunning set!

Come over anytime. It will be an epic tragedy. I will die in gote, but you will die of boredom, or maybe die laughing.

Did the calligraphy scroll come as part of the set?