囲碁将棋盤 榧寿堂 ／ What Is Hyuga Kaya? How Japanese Shops Grade Kaya Go Boards by Origin
What Is Hyuga Kaya? How Japanese Shops Grade Kaya Go Boards by Origin
Browse the most expensive go boards on a Japanese shop’s site and one phrase keeps appearing: Hyuga kaya (日向榧, hyūga-gaya). Hyuga is the old name for the area around present-day Miyazaki Prefecture in southern Kyushu. Hyuga kaya is kaya wood felled in the mountains there.
If you are reading Japanese listings from abroad, you will also see hon-kaya, Japanese hon-kaya, Chinese hon-kaya and shin-kaya, with prices that differ several times over. This page explains how those names relate, and what to check before you buy a Hyuga kaya board.
The short version
- Hyuga kaya = kaya felled in the mountains of Miyazaki, southern Kyushu. Japanese board makers treat it as the top grade of board wood.
- Shops sort kaya by origin into three groups: Hyuga kaya, other Japanese hon-kaya, and Chinese hon-kaya (mainly from Yunnan).
- Shin-kaya is not kaya. It is mainly North American spruce, a lower-cost alternative.
- Origin is only part of the value. Among Hyuga kaya boards, the grain (masame or itame), thickness and knots move the price a great deal.
- Ask the shop about origin. Whether a board comes with any proof of origin depends on the shop and the board.
1. How Japanese shops grade kaya by origin
Kuroki Goishiten, a long-established go stone and board maker based in Hyuga City, Miyazaki, describes the origins of kaya this way (our translation):
“By origin, kaya is mainly divided into Hyuga kaya, felled in the mountains of Miyazaki in southern Kyushu; Japanese hon-kaya, from elsewhere in Japan; and Chinese hon-kaya, mainly from Yunnan Province. Japanese hon-kaya and then Chinese hon-kaya are generally considered the next best, in that order.” (Kuroki Goishiten, “How to choose a go board” (Japanese), checked 2026-10-22)
| Name on a listing | What it means |
|---|---|
| Hyuga kaya (日向榧) | Kaya from the mountains of Miyazaki, southern Kyushu; treated as the top grade |
| Japanese hon-kaya (日本産本榧) | Kaya grown elsewhere in Japan |
| Chinese hon-kaya (中国産本榧) | Kaya mainly from Yunnan Province, China |
| Shin-kaya (新榧) | Not kaya; mainly North American spruce |
The practical point for overseas buyers: “hon-kaya” on a Japanese listing does not by itself mean Japanese-grown. It means real kaya, as opposed to shin-kaya. If origin matters to you, ask whether the board is Hyuga, other Japanese, or Chinese kaya.
On Chinese kaya, note that Maekawa Kaya Goban, a kaya board specialist, writes that felling of Chinese kaya has been banned since the late 1990s and that it no longer comes into Japan (Maekawa Kaya Goban, “What is kaya” (Japanese), checked 2026-10-24).
2. Why Hyuga kaya is ranked first
Kuroki Goishiten gives the reason as climate: southern Kyushu and Miyazaki have fairly sharp swings between warm and cold, heavy rainfall and strong direct sun, conditions it describes as suited to bringing out clear grain (Kuroki Goishiten, checked 2026-10-22).
The same page says a one-piece legged go or shogi board needs a large tree of roughly 200 to 800 years old, and that, with felling now prohibited outside some privately owned forests, large-diameter old Hyuga kaya logs hardly reach the market. That scarcity, as much as the wood itself, is behind the prices.
Kaya grows very slowly. Maekawa Kaya Goban writes that it takes more than 300 years for a kaya tree to reach the roughly 1.1 m diameter suited to board making (Maekawa, checked 2026-10-22).
Why kaya at all? Maekawa describes the wood as having “moderate hardness and elasticity” and a distinctive scent. Do not think of kaya as “the harder, the better”.
3. Beyond origin: look at the grain (kidori)
Two Hyuga kaya boards can be priced very differently because of how the board was cut from the log, called kidori (木取り).
| Kidori | What it is |
|---|---|
| Masame (柾目, straight grain) | Growth rings stand nearly upright to the playing surface, giving parallel straight lines across it |
| Tenmasa (天柾) | On the front and back end faces (koguchi), the straight grain runs true on the playing-surface side only |
| Tenchimasa (天地柾) | On the end faces, straight grain runs all the way from the playing surface to the underside; the left and right sides show itame |
| Shihomasa (四方柾) | All four faces, top, bottom and both sides, show straight grain; it needs a very large log |
| Itame (板目, flat grain) | Growth rings run nearly parallel to the surface, giving arched or wavy figure |
Straight-grain boards are cut from the radius of the log, between the heart and the bark, so they need very old, large trees. Which cut ranks highest differs by shop: Maekawa puts shihomasa at the top, while Maruhachi Goban calls tenmasa the finest cut for the beauty of the surface. If a listing says “the finest cut”, ask which one it means. The full explanation is in Go Board Wood Grain Explained.
Flat-grain boards are further divided into kiura and kiomote. On a kiura board the playing surface faces the heart of the tree; on a kiomote board it faces the bark. Kuroki Goishiten ranks kiura above kiomote, and notes that kiomote is the cut taken when a knot, resin pocket or other flaw prevents a kiura cut, so the underside of a kiomote board often has a flaw.
4. Thickness and weight
Kaya boards come as tabletop boards and as legged boards (ashitsuki-ban). The thicker the legged board, the larger the log it needs and the higher the price. Thick legged boards can exceed 30 kg (Maekawa), so plan where it will sit and how it will be moved. See Go & Shogi Board Thickness.
Some kaya boards are made from several boards joined side by side (hagi-ban, 接ぎ盤). Maekawa says a joined board differs little from a one-piece board in feel, sound and durability. See One-Piece or Joined Go Board.
5. Hyuga kaya or shin-kaya?
Shin-kaya, mainly North American spruce, costs far less than kaya. Kuroki Goishiten says its playing feel is “not inferior even compared with hon-kaya and Hyuga kaya boards”. Its weak point is age: both Kuroki and Maekawa say it shows larger changes in colour and other wear over the years and is considered to have a shorter service life. More in Honkaya vs Shinkaya.
| What you want | Direction |
|---|---|
| A board to pass down a generation | A legged Hyuga or Japanese hon-kaya board, with the cut chosen to fit the budget |
| Kaya’s feel on a smaller budget | Chinese hon-kaya, or an itame or tabletop Japanese hon-kaya board |
| Just to start playing | A tabletop board in shin-kaya or another alternative wood |
For the whole decision, see How to Choose a Go Board.
6. What to ask before buying a Hyuga kaya board
When buying from Japan, you can send the shop these questions directly:
- Origin: Hyuga kaya, other Japanese hon-kaya, or Chinese hon-kaya? Is any proof of origin provided?
- Cut: Straight grain (tenmasa, tenchimasa, shihomasa) or flat grain? If flat grain, kiura or kiomote?
- One piece or joined: a single board, or a hagi-ban?
- Thickness and weight: how many sun thick (1 sun ≈ 3.03 cm), and roughly how heavy?
- Knots and cracks: any knots, colour variation or checks? Could they send photos in natural light?
- Overseas shipping: can they ship to your country, and how is the board packed?
Prices vary widely with origin, cut and thickness, so we do not quote figures here. Go by the shop’s own quotation.
7. Storing a Hyuga kaya board
Keep a kaya board out of direct sun, away from heaters and air-conditioner draughts, and away from spots where wind blows straight through. Maekawa lists exactly these places, together with “places with sharp changes in temperature or humidity”, as where cracks, warping and sun-fading start (Maekawa, “Caring for go and shogi equipment” (Japanese), checked 2026-10-22). At the same time, do not shut it away at the back of a closet where damp collects; in the humid rainy season, wipe the surface dry now and then. A paulownia cover or box helps. Step-by-step care is in Caring for a Go or Shogi Board.
FAQ
Are Hyuga kaya and hon-kaya two different woods? No. Hyuga kaya is the part of hon-kaya felled in the mountains of Miyazaki. Japanese shops such as Kuroki Goishiten divide kaya by origin into Hyuga kaya, Japanese hon-kaya and Chinese hon-kaya.
Does “hon-kaya” on a Japanese listing mean it was grown in Japan? Not necessarily. Shops also call kaya mainly from Yunnan, China, “Chinese hon-kaya”. Ask the shop for the origin.
Is a Hyuga kaya board always more expensive than other kaya? Origin is a major factor, but among Hyuga kaya boards the cut, thickness, knots and colour also change the price a lot. Look at origin and cut together.
Is shin-kaya a kind of kaya? No. It is mainly North American spruce. It looks similar and costs less, but it shows more change with age and is considered to have a shorter service life.
Which cut is the best? Shops disagree. Maekawa puts shihomasa at the top; Maruhachi Goban calls tenmasa the finest cut. Ask which one a listing means.
Related pages
This page sets out general information on Hyuga kaya boards (checked 2026-10-22). Origin, cut, price and shipping terms vary by shop and by board; confirm with the board shop before buying. Kayajudo is an independent guide to go and shogi equipment.