Boxwood Shogi Pieces: Mikurajima vs Satsuma Tsuge, Siam Tsuge, and How to Read the Grain

Pick up a good set of Japanese shogi pieces and the first thing you notice is the wood: a pale, fine-grained yellow that feels dense and smooth in the fingers. That wood is almost always tsuge (黄楊), Japanese boxwood.

When you start comparing sets, though, the listings fill up with words that a translation tool will not help with: shima-tsuge, Satsuma hon-tsuge, Siam tsuge, masame, torafu. This page explains what those words mean, so you can read a description and ask a shop the right questions. The making method (written, carved, inlaid, raised lacquer) is a separate question; we cover it in Types of shogi pieces.

The short version

• Boxwood (tsuge) is regarded as the finest wood for shogi pieces. It is hard but has “give”, so it takes fine carving and resists chipping.
• The two famous Japanese sources are Mikurajima (an island south of Tokyo) and Satsuma (Kagoshima, southern Kyushu). They look and feel different, and neither is simply “better” for every buyer.
• “Siam tsuge” is imported wood from Southeast Asia, sold under its own name. It is not the same thing as Japanese hon-tsuge (“true boxwood”).
• Grain names change the value, not the play. Straight grain (masame) is the standard; figured grain (moku, fu, such as torafu) is rarer and priced higher.
• The material, the making method and the calligraphy style are three separate choices. A listing should tell you all three.

Why boxwood

Shogi pieces are small, thin, and handled thousands of times. The characters are carved or built up in lacquer on a surface only a few centimetres wide. That asks a lot of the wood: it has to be dense enough to hold a crisp edge, and tough enough not to chip when pieces are slapped down or knocked together in the box.

Kyoto Ōishi Tengudō, a go and shogi equipment maker founded about two hundred years ago, puts it simply on its page about piece wood: hard wood with some stickiness is generally considered suitable for pieces, and among the woods used, boxwood is considered the finest (Kyoto Ōishi Tengudō, “How to tell shogi pieces apart: piece wood”, checked 2026-10-20).

There is a second reason people love boxwood: it changes with use. Tengudō’s care page says the ideal is for the wood to darken gradually from players’ hands and from light over time (Kyoto Ōishi Tengudō, care of go and shogi equipment). A well-used boxwood set turns from pale yellow towards a warm honey tone, which is why old sets are often passed down rather than replaced.

Mikurajima and Satsuma: the two names to know

Japanese boxwood for pieces is usually labelled by where it grew. Two names come up again and again.

Mikurajima boxwood (御蔵島黄楊), often shortened to shima-tsuge (“island boxwood”). Mikurajima is one of the Izu Islands, administered by Tokyo. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s own product guide describes shima-tsuge as hard yet supple, resistant to cracking, and used for the highest grade of shogi pieces (Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo Gifts 62). Tengudō notes that it has fine grain, a whitish colour, and is the source of the beautiful figured patterns such as torafu and akamasa.

Satsuma boxwood (薩摩黄楊), from the old Satsuma region, today’s Kagoshima. Tengudō describes it as coarser in grain than Mikurajima wood, with a reddish tone, and hard and sticky, so it does not scratch easily.

Which is “better” depends on what you want. If you want a set for regular play that will take knocks, the Satsuma description is attractive. If you want the rare patterned pieces that collectors talk about, Tengudō notes that patterns such as torafu and akamasa can be taken from Mikurajima wood. In shop listings you will often see either source labelled hon-tsuge (本黄楊), “true boxwood”; if the label matters to you, ask the maker where the wood came from.

Siam tsuge and the other woods

Siam tsuge (シャム黄楊) is wood imported from Southeast Asia. Tengudō describes it as whitish with grain that is hard to see. It is used for more affordable sets. The point to take away is not that it is bad — it plays perfectly well — but that the name contains “tsuge” without being Japanese hon-tsuge. If a listing just says “boxwood”, ask which one.

Other woods are used too. Tengudō lists, among others:

• Kaede (楓) — itaya maple, from Hokkaido and the Tohoku region; clean grain, moderately dense, less expensive than hon-tsuge
• Aoka — a striped-bark maple (uri-hada kaede); whitish and light, common in inexpensive sets
• Kaba — birch, mainly from Tohoku; whitish and light, common in inexpensive sets
• Onore — ono-ore kanba, mainly from Tohoku; named “hard enough to break an axe”, and Tengudō says its weight and feel in play rival hon-tsuge
• Byakudan and kokutan — rarer pieces in sandalwood and ebony also exist, ebony giving a black body

For a first set or a club set, any of these is fine. Boxwood starts to matter when you want a set that feels good in the hand and will age well over decades.

Reading the grain: masame, moku, fu

Once you are looking at boxwood, the next thing a listing will mention is the grain.

• Masame (柾目) — straight grain, running in vertical stripes down the piece. Tengudō calls this the standard grain. A neat masame set looks orderly on the board and is the classic choice for play.
• Moku (杢) / fu (斑) — figured grain, where the wood shows a pattern with its own sheen. These are loved as objects to look at as much as to play with.
• Torafu (虎斑) — “tiger stripes”, a strongly figured pattern. One of the most sought-after.
• Akamasa (赤柾) and ginmoku (銀杢) — other named patterns you will see in listings.

Grain does not change how the pieces play. What it changes is how the set looks; Tengudō notes that figured grain is prized for viewing. For how figure affects the price of a particular set, ask the maker or a specialist shop.

If the grain vocabulary feels familiar, it is because go boards use the same idea — see Go board wood grain explained. The terms are not identical, but the logic (how the wood was cut decides the look and the price) is the same.

Putting the three choices together

A full description of a shogi set answers three questions:

A practical way to choose:

• First set, learning, club use: an affordable wood with written or carved characters. The board and a komadai and komabako matter just as much at this stage.
• A set to play with for decades: hon-tsuge with straight grain, carved or horiume. Masame boxwood with a durable making method is the classic “everyday good set”.
• Gift or collection: hon-tsuge with figured grain, often in moriage. Ask the maker about the grain, the source of the wood, and who made the pieces.

We do not quote prices here: they depend heavily on the wood, the grain, the making method and the craftsman, and they change. Check current prices directly with a shogi piece maker or specialist go and shogi shop, and ask them to state the wood and its origin in writing.

Looking after boxwood pieces

Boxwood needs very little. Based on Tengudō’s care guidance (Kyoto Ōishi Tengudō, care of go and shogi equipment, checked 2026-10-23):

• Wipe with a soft dry cloth. That is the routine care.
• Oil only when needed. If pieces are very dirty or you want a stronger sheen, soak a cloth in plant oil without overdoing it, polish each piece carefully, and wipe it off afterwards. Use especially little oil on horiume and moriage pieces; Tengudō says it is better to avoid oil on them if you can.
• Storage: avoid direct sunlight, places with big temperature swings, and places where the wind blows through.

FAQ

Is Mikurajima or Satsuma boxwood better? Neither is better for everyone. Mikurajima wood is finer-grained and whitish, and patterns such as torafu can be taken from it. Satsuma wood is coarser, reddish, and hard and tough. Choose by what you want from the set, then compare the actual pieces.

Is “Siam tsuge” fake boxwood? It is a different, imported wood sold under its own name, and it is fine for play. The only problem is when a listing says “boxwood” without saying which. Ask.

Does figured grain like torafu play differently? No. Grain changes the look, the rarity and the price, not the play.

Why do old boxwood pieces look darker? Boxwood darkens gradually from hand contact and light. Makers consider this the ideal way for pieces to age.

How many pieces are in a set? Forty pieces for play (20 per side). Some sets add extra pieces, so check the stated contents when you buy.