“Tachi mori” Drawing Lines with Sword kurokigoishi

A traditional skill for drawing lines on Go boards using a Japanese sword. “Tachi-mori” is the incredible skill of drawing lines of Go boards using a Japanese sword. Lacquer is thinly and evenly applied on the blade. Lacquer must be applied uniformly all along the blade to ensure completely straight lines that all have the same thickness. Then the lacquered blade is placed directly and exactly over the guidelines. The blade must touch the board at the right speed, not too slowly, not too fast. A total of 38 lines are drawn on each board. Even one minor mistake means starting all over again. Tachi-mori requires the highest level of concentration and mental strength. Finally, the craftsman marks 9 dots at major intersections. Now that the two masterful Tachi-mori and Hoshi-uchi processes are concluded, our beautiful Go board is completed.