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Kaya
Keywords: Culture & History, Equipment
Traditional gobans are made from the wood of the kaya tree (lat.: "torreya nucifera" of the family "taxaceae"). The kaya is an evergreen tree with yellow to pale brown wood and spreading brownish branches. Most often the kaya is found as underwood in mountain forests, seldom as a tree. The kaya is durable under water. In autumn the plant is laden with large seeds (like acorns or hazelnuts) which contain oil and have a resinous aftertaste. The color of cut kaya wood mellows with age. Kaya gobans are classified into two types: itame for irregular or bent grain, and masame for straight grain. Prices for a kaya goban with attached legs (15-20 cm height) range from about 6,500 US-$ (itame) up to 25,000 US-$ (masame). A kaya table goban (5 cm height) costs about 1,000 US-$. Related (botanical) links:
This is a copy of the living page "Kaya" at Sensei's Library. ![]() |