From log to Go board – the world’s oldest game, made the old-fashioned way

For captions describing each step of the process in this video, click the CC button at the bottom right of the video player.

This satisfying process video offers viewers a peek behind the scenes at Kumasu in Miyazaki, Japan, where craftsmen fashion boards that can be used for the centuries-old games Go and Shogi. Starting with a thick log of kaya wood, the workers cut, carve and polish with precision, combining traditional methods with modern time-saving machinery. In an age where a game of Go can be started online within seconds, the methodical making of the board feels as if it mirrors the careful, deliberate nature of the game itself.