Antique goban with calligraphy from Cho Chikun！

[chen1664]

Hello everyone,

First time posting in this forum. Today I went to a local antique store and found a antique goban with calligraphy from Cho Chikun (one of my favorite go player) and the price was too good to pass so I bought it home with me! I am very excited to share with you my new goban.

Since the wood wasn't in a good condition upon purchase I decided to be adventurous, so I oiled and waxed the board . This is my first time oiling a board and I am surprised how oiling and waxing can do to a old board. I can share with you my experience if you want to know my process and what type of oil/wax I used.

I really like the name Cho gave to this board. "明鏡" I think this translates to something like clear reflection/mirror. which I interpret it as staying true and having a clear heart.

I am not sure that type of wood this is, I was suspecting this might be katsura, but on a Chinese forum people are saying this could very possibly be Kaya because Kaya wood turns dark with age. What do you think?

[chen1664]

Original Condition

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Original Condition

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Original Condition

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[chen1664]

Original Condition

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Original Condition

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[chen1664]

After

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After

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[chen1664]

After

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[chen1664]

Darker looking photos are taken from iPhone and lighter looking are taken from a mirrorless digital camera.
If you are wondering about the stones they are, Legendary Hyuga clam shell Flower grade size 33 from KGT
Thats all I have, hope you guys enjoyed it as I do!

[jeromie]

What an exciting find! Enjoy!

[chen1664]

What an exciting find! Enjoy!

Thanks! I am very surprised that they carry this in the store.

[EdLee]

Congrats on a nice find.

"明鏡" I think this translates to something like clear reflection/mirror.
which I interpret it as staying true and having a clear heart.

Hmm, to get deeper at 明鏡...
「身似菩提樹，心如明鏡台，時時勤拂拭，勿使惹塵埃。」
「菩提本無樹，明鏡亦非台，本來無一物，何處惹塵埃。」

[chen1664]

Congrats on a nice find.

"明鏡" I think this translates to something like clear reflection/mirror.
which I interpret it as staying true and having a clear heart.

Hmm, to get deeper at 明鏡...
「身似菩提樹，心如明鏡台，時時勤拂拭，勿使惹塵埃。」
「菩提本無樹，明鏡亦非台，本來無一物，何處惹塵埃。」

thanks! Now I have to go study what the poem means

[EdLee]

The true and clear heart part is pretty good;
additional mileage can be found in
"to see(face) not only oneself, clearly, honestly, strictly, and truly;
but also to see (and reflect) the reality (the world) the same ways." --
this was the level of 神秀 ( the first quote ).

The second quote was the level of 慧能.

[chen1664]

The true and clear heart part is pretty good;
additional mileage can be found in
"to see(face) not only oneself, clearly, honestly, strictly, and truly;
but also to see (and reflect) the reality (the world) the same ways." --
this was the level of 神秀 ( the first quote ).

The second quote was the level of 慧能.

So deep for one goban

[EdLee]

So deep for one goban

You got a nice find.

[Galation]

I have, hope you guys enjoyed it as I do!

I enjoyed for sure, thankyou for posting!
Can you share also your intervention on the wood?

if you want to know my process and what type of oil/wax I used.

I like the result.
Galation

[John Fairbairn]

I hardly think Cho is referencing obscure Chinese poems. Much more likely he is using the commonest Japanese allusion of 明鏡 which is to the phrase 明鏡止水 (meikyo shisui - one of the 4-character phrases beloved by the Japanese). As I recall this is from Zhuang Zi - Chinese, of course, but nowadays almost universal.

The usual sense is to keep in mind a clear mirror, remembering that still water, i.e. your mind itself, can act like a mirror. Different people take this to mean keeping your wits about you, or eschewing evil thoughts, or (in go) having an untrammelled mind at the board.

Cho possibly took the phrase from the book of stock phrases they keep for this purpose in the Nihon Ki-in, but he has here a distinctive hand of his own which I rather like.