Hi all,

I'm working on a very small project and am looking for a small piece of genuine Kaya as well as unfinished clam and slate stones. I'd only need 5 or so.

Any ideas on where I could get my hands on these?

Send Mr. Kuroki an E-mail. He can easily get you unfinished stones in various levels of completeness, even if they're not listed on his website.

http://www.kurokigoishi.co.jp/english/

Kaya's botanical name is Torreya Nucifera and it may be easier to find using that name rather than the Japanese name. It is a protected species in Japan, only fallen trees can be harvested. If you don't need this specific species, there are other members of the torreya, such as torreya californica (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torreya_californica), which grow outside of Japan. Depending on how small a piece of genuine kaya you need you might be able to get some someplace away from Japan. When a go or shogi board is made from kaya there are many pieces of the tree that are too small to make into boards and they are used for things like utilitarian things like saucers and bowls. These items can be bought from department stores, such as Mitsukoshi or Rakuten.

As for unfinished slate and shell stones, Kuroki Goishi Ten might sell you a few that they couldn't finish satisfactorily.

Thanks! I just sent him an email! Do you think he'd be able to provide the Kaya pieces as well? They're pretty small. 1,1,2 cm.

Thanks! I'll try looking into other sources I sent Kuroki an email. Will wait for his response.

Just out of curiosity, was Mr. Kuroki able to help you with your quest?