Are the lines of the board raised slightly above the wood surface? If so, it's normal for a well made Japanese board where the lines are made with lacquer drawn on top of the board surface without damaging the surface.
See this old thread: viewtopic.php?f=19&p=14041

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http://tchan001.wordpress.com
A blog on Asian go books, go sightings, and interesting tidbits
Go is such a beautiful game.

tchan001 - Yes, it's the lines (not the stones). The first & second pictures below show
the same two stones, just slightly repositioned. The lacquered lines (and hoshi) are slightly
raised (which I was happy to read, is a good thing). If I move the stones completely off the
lines, they're even more level than pictured.

EdLee - thanks for your comments too. I was going to order size 36 stones but a few of your
posts here on the forum inspired me to go for size 38 - glad I did, they've got a GREAT feel!

I've added a few additional pics below that show:

1) how the stones get "level" by moving them slightly off the raised lines
2) A neat picture of the bowls, along with the Tatami (Japanese straw mat) I got for the board.
3) View of my board showing the "front" wood grain.

Click "show" to view them:

Yea, they're amazing.
I'm still curious about the tilted stones -- is it, as tchan mentioned, because the grid lines are slightly 3D, thus pushing up the stones ? Do you know their technique or process to wax the shell stones to make them so shiny like that?

You are correct, as Tchan mentioned the lacquered grid lines are slightly 3d. If you
look at the picture below, it's the same "2 stones" ... you see how tilted they
look in the first picture. All I did was move them slightly off the grid lines,
and they straightened out. If I were to move them even further off the lines,
they're even more straight. I believe the grid lines become less "3d" with play,
but initially they're supposed to be 3d, as it's part of their process of how the
laquer is applied with the Katana. Click "show" to view:



I too was struck by how shiny they are. Here's their process:

"We polish Go Stones for about 6 hours in a special barrel, paying close attention to the
volume of water used, taking into consideration the weather, size, and amount of Go Stones."

Also ... they're inspection process for EACH stone is pretty amazing. Have a look at this:

"Any stone which is not the same as the Master Stone, lacks stability, or has a shape that
doesn't suit the hands will be strictly removed as not suitable. A stone that meets the
criterion has well balanced roundness according to its size, a nice smooth surface which
fits in the hands, a beautiful side line with no damage, and a perfect shape to fully
satisfy the player's eyes, ears, and fingers:
http://www.kurokigoishi.co.jp/english/s ... aster.html

And this:

"Each stone goes through a 3-month, 24 stage process and every craftsman
touches it at least once, sees it with their own eyes, talks to it, and turns
it into a Go Stone that is capable of expressing the thoughts of the Go player"

"After this process Go Stones will make clear sound when rubbed against each other
and will feel nice in the player's hands."

It's an amazing company. They really take pride in the quality of their product.

I'm partially blind to the beauty of such boards or stones, but these bowls blow me away

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Formerly Gorim

Hey deepgreen, can you hide those photos? Interested parties could still un-hide them, and it'd be easier on those of us that are reading the dialogue in this thread. Just a suggestion, and thanks for the awesome pics!

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Sincerely, Chad R. Sobodash

Absolutely, thank you for the suggestion. All my pictures
on this page (page 2) of the thread are now hidden.

3d grid lines!? Just imagine how strong the wood itself must be...