Selling or Valuing an Inherited Japanese Go or Shogi Board: The Four Things an Appraiser Looks At, and What Not to Do First

Many Japanese go and shogi boards outside Japan arrived as gifts, or came home with a family member decades ago. When one is handed down, the first question is usually: is it worth anything, and how do I find out?

This page is written for that situation. It explains what decides a board’s value, what an appraiser actually looks at, what to prepare, and the well-meant “clean-ups” that can lower the value before anyone has seen the board.

The short answer

1. Value is decided mostly by the wood and the thickness. Age on its own does not make a board valuable.
2. An appraiser looks at four things: the wood, the thickness, the grain cut (kidori), and the condition of the playing surface.
3. Before you ask anyone, do nothing to the board. Sanding, washing, oiling or redrawing the lines can all lower the value.
4. Prepare five photos and one measurement, ask more than one specialist, and do not decide on the spot.

Which boards tend to be valued

Why kaya is scarce is easy to see from one figure. Kuroki Goishiten, a Japanese stone and board maker, says that making a one-piece go or shogi board with legs “requires a large tree about 200 to 800 years old.” The difference between real kaya and the North American spruce sold as shin-kaya is explained in Hon-kaya vs Shin-kaya.

The four things an appraiser looks at

1. The wood

Kaya, katsura, hiba, spruce (shin-kaya) and agathis (shin-katsura) can look similar to an untrained eye. Leave the identification to a specialist. What helps is describing what you see: the colour, how fine the grain is, and whether the wood has a noticeable smell. The other board woods are compared in Go Board Woods Beyond Kaya.

2. The thickness

Measure the side of the board. For a board with legs, measure the board body only, without the legs. Kuroki Goishiten defines it the same way: “the thickness of a pedestal board is the thickness of the board body, not including the legs.” Japanese listings give thickness in sun (1 sun ≈ 3.03 cm), so a “6 sun” board is about 18 cm thick. A thicker board uses more wood and generally weighs more in the valuation. See Go & Shogi Board Thickness.

3. The grain cut (kidori)

How the board was cut from the log shows in the grain on the end faces (the front and back sides of the board) and on the top. Straight-grain boards (masame) are cut from the radius of a large log and are graded by how far the straight grain runs: tenmasa (straight on the top side of the end faces), tenchi-masa (straight from top to bottom on the end faces), and shihō-masa (straight grain on all four faces). Flat-grain boards (itame) are graded kiura above kiomote. Oimasa sits between straight and flat grain. The exact ranking varies between shops. Photos of the end faces let a specialist read this; the details are in Go Board Wood Grain.

Whether the board is one piece or joined from several boards side by side (hagi-ban) is also part of this. See One-Piece or Joined?.

4. The playing surface

The appraiser checks how crisp the lines are, dents from stones or pieces, stains and water rings, and warping. Ordinary marks of use tend to matter less. Water damage and cracks usually weigh more.

The lines on a good Japanese board are raised lacquer, not print, and are part of how the board is judged. How they are made is explained in Tachimori: How the Lines on a Go Board Are Drawn.

What not to do before selling

Once you have decided to have the board valued, the right move is to leave it as it is.

• Do not sand the surface. Sanding removes the lacquer lines and changes how the grain looks. Resurfacing a board is a specialist’s job, and the lines then have to be redrawn.
• Do not wipe it with water or detergent. Wood that takes in water can warp and stain.
• Do not apply oil or wax. It may look better for a while, but it makes the wood harder to judge.
• Do not redraw or touch up the lines. Lines you have added yourself may count against the board.
• Do not take off the legs. On a board with legs, the legs are assessed together with the board.

Everyday care (a dry cloth, and little else) is covered in Caring for a Go or Shogi Board.

If the board is damaged

Cracks, warping and dents can sometimes be repaired by Japanese board makers. A rough guide:

• Good wood, such as a thick kaya board: it can be worth asking about repair, or asking for a valuation that includes a repair estimate.
• Ordinary wood with heavy damage: repair costs tend to be higher than the value, so ask as it is.

If you are unsure, ask before repairing. If the board is repaired first and the repair is not the right one, it cannot be undone.

Five photos and one measurement

Prepare these before you contact anyone:

1. The whole playing surface, from directly above, so the lines are visible.
2. An end face, so the direction of the grain can be seen.
3. One leg, if the board has legs. The legs and the recess underneath are explained in Go Board Legs and the Chidamari.
4. The thickness in centimetres, measured without the legs. A photo with a ruler against the side works well.
5. Any damage, photographed openly. Do not cover it up.

Take the photos in bright, even light without strong shadows. A flash tends to wash out the grain.

Who to ask

• Go and shogi equipment shops and board makers, in Japan or elsewhere. Some Japanese shops answer enquiries by email with photos; where to find them is in Where to Buy Go Equipment.
• Antique and second-hand dealers. In Japan, businesses that buy used goods need a second-hand dealer’s licence (kobutsu-shō) from the prefectural public safety commission; a licence number on the dealer’s site is one thing you can check.

Three habits help wherever you ask:

• Ask more than one place. A single opinion does not tell you whether an offer is high or low.
• Check who pays for collection or shipping first. A board with legs is heavy and needs careful packing.
• Do not decide on the spot. Say you would like to think about it, and see how that is received.

FAQ

Can the stones or shogi pieces be valued at the same time? Usually yes, but they are judged on different terms. Clamshell stones are graded by thickness and grade, and shogi pieces by how they were made, the calligraphy style and the maker. Show them separately from the board. See Clamshell Stone Grades, Nachiguro Black Stones and Shogi Piece Types.

Is a folding table board worth selling? A large amount is unlikely, because so many were made. Before throwing one away, ask a local go or shogi club, a school or a community centre whether they could use it.

The board has been in a cupboard for decades and smells musty. What should I do? Do not wipe or wash it. Leave it indoors for a few days, out of direct sunlight and away from heaters, air conditioning and places where wind blows straight through. A board left in a draught can crack.

Can someone tell me the value from photos? Photos are enough to start a conversation, but rarely enough for a firm figure. If someone offers a high price immediately without seeing the board, take time and ask somewhere else as well.

I want to buy a used board, not sell one. The buyer’s side is covered in Buying a Used Go Board.

Sources (checked 18 October 2026): Kuroki Goishiten — 碁盤の選び方 (thickness measured without the legs; tree age for one-piece boards with legs). This page is based on the Japanese version on this site and on published information from Japanese board makers. Practices differ between shops and appraisers; ask the specialist you contact. This site is an independent information site about go and shogi equipment.