I abide, eBay provides. Again.

[bogiesan]

I had a beautiful, bright yellow hiba board twenty years ago and I let it go for a song during a depressive non-go-playing phase. I hope whoever got it enjoys it still. For several years I’ve been looking for a replacement and my patience has paid off.

Saw this piece a few months ago on the eBay and thought it had been sold to a lucky player. But it turned up again at a lower price. Took me three seconds to push the “buy now” button.

This go board is thirty to forty years old and is a rare 2-1/4” (5.5cm) thick, single piece of what appears to me to be Japanese kaya. Lovely grain. There are a few dings and tiny cracks which, for me, add tremendously to the character of a well used but well cared for go board. I don’t know how well it is going to hold up here in the Idaho desert but it’s a fine example of older go equipment which is getting more and more difficult to find. No one is importing these items at prices many of us can or wish to afford.

I think this is the last piece of go equipment I need. But I’ve said that before.

Anyone translate the characters on the box lid for me?

[bogiesan]

Sorry about the giant photo!

[dfan]

I had a beautiful, bright yellow hiba board twenty years ago and I let it go for a song during a depressive non-go-playing phase. I hope whoever got it enjoys it still.

If this was the set you sold over rec.games.go in 1998, I do indeed enjoy it still!

It was a different time. It's hard to imagine that I sent off a check for hundreds of dollars to a random Usenet member without even seeing a photo. But my trust was rewarded. I still use the board and stones regularly with great pleasure. I am glad that you have finally found a suitable replacement for it.

[Gomoto]

Sorry about the giant photo!

You are welcome

But perhaps the forum should change the way it handles pics. (Let us choose a size/scale for our pics.)

[bogiesan]

I had a beautiful, bright yellow hiba board twenty years ago and I let it go for a song during a depressive non-go-playing phase. I hope whoever got it enjoys it still.

If this was the set you sold over rec.games.go in 1998, I do indeed enjoy it still! It was a different time. It's hard to imagine that I sent off a check for hundreds of dollars to a random Usenet member without even seeing a photo. But my trust was rewarded. I still use the board and stones regularly with great pleasure. I am glad that you have finally found a suitable replacement for it.

So very glad to see you again, as you might say, so randomly. If I recall correctly, there was a nice set of shell stones, lovely bowls (quince?), a bunch of books, and was there not also a weird floor board in that box? It was a different time. Indeed!

By the way, I acquired that beautiful set from Neal, our 1d here in Boise, who had lost his wife to cancer, an event that altered his priorities. I enjoyed hauling the set to club but none of the newbies — and they were all newbies —appreciated fine equipment or understood what our imaginations can attach to it.

[dfan]

I had a beautiful, bright yellow hiba board twenty years ago and I let it go for a song during a depressive non-go-playing phase. I hope whoever got it enjoys it still.

If this was the set you sold over rec.games.go in 1998, I do indeed enjoy it still! It was a different time. It's hard to imagine that I sent off a check for hundreds of dollars to a random Usenet member without even seeing a photo. But my trust was rewarded. I still use the board and stones regularly with great pleasure. I am glad that you have finally found a suitable replacement for it.

So very glad to see you again, as you might say, so randomly. If I recall correctly, there was a nice set of shell stones, lovely bowls (quince?), a bunch of books, and was there not also a weird floor board in that box? It was a different time. Indeed!

By the way, I acquired that beautiful set from Neal, our 1d here in Boise, who had lost his wife to cancer, an event that altered his priorities. I enjoyed hauling the set to club but none of the newbies — and they were all newbies —appreciated fine equipment or understood what our imaginations can attach to it.

Very nice stones and cherrywood bowls I still use with the board, and indeed also a weird floor board also still in my possession. No books, but a Paulonia box for the bowls that I still have not figured out exactly how to fasten idiomatically...

Thanks for the additional history; it's nice to know the set's peregrinations.

[Drew]

Anyone translate the characters on the box lid for me?

The lid reads 博御碁盤.

碁盤 is "go board" -- ごばん -- "goban".

博御 seems to be a name - perhaps "Hiroshi" - as those two characters together do not appear in any Japanese dictionary I have access to.

In any case, your board is Japanese.

[Bill Spight]

Anyone translate the characters on the box lid for me?

The lid reads 博御碁盤.

碁盤 is "go board" -- ごばん -- "goban".

博御 seems to be a name - perhaps "Hiroshi" - as those two characters together do not appear in any Japanese dictionary I have access to.

In any case, your board is Japanese.

御 is honorific.

御碁盤 = most honorable go board

博 I don't know. Maybe a brand name?

[EdLee]

Sorry about the giant photo!

The Hide tags and various free photo editor apps could be useful.

The lid reads (博)御碁盤.
御 is honorific.
御碁盤 = most honorable go board

御 in Chinese means imperial, as in 御用.
After it went to Japan, I don't know the etymology.

To translate:
( 御箸 o-hashi; お寿司 o-sushi, おにぎり o-nigiri ) as
( most honorable chopticks, most honorable sushi, most honorable rice ball )
seems a bit overkilled to me.

Maybe ( o-goban ) = ( Go board! ).

博 I don't know. Maybe a brand name?

The circled (博) -- that's my guess, too.

[Drew]

To translate:
( 御箸 o-hashi; お寿司 o-sushi, おにぎり o-nigiri ) as
( most honorable chopticks, most honorable sushi, most honorable rice ball )
seems a bit overkilled to me.

Well I'll be... 4 years of Japanese way back when in school and I never bothered to learn (or have long since forgotten) the kanji for お in お寿司. Goodness.

[Bill Spight]

御 in Chinese means imperial, as in 御用.
After it went to Japan, I don't know the etymology.

As in "御用 You are under arrest."
From https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/en/御用/#je-27273

[EdLee]

御用

A little divergence after ~1,500 years...

Code: Select all

         J.          C.
勉強     study        reluctantly
大丈夫   OK           he-man
邪魔     disturb      demon
怪我     injury       blame me

[bogiesan]

Thanks everyone for the translations and educated guesses,

I'm going with "Go board, top class, from Timmy's Go Board Company".