![Tendo Shogi Koma: Where to Buy Yamagata’s Wooden Shogi Pieces Set [2026]](https://jpmono.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/tendo-shogi-koma-wooden-pieces-set-where-to-buy-2026-featured.jpg)
A full set of Japanese shogi pieces — forty pieces, carved and lettered, sliding into a kiri-wood box — is one of those objects that looks simple until you learn where almost all of them come from. The town of Tendo (天童) in Yamagata Prefecture carves roughly 95% of Japan’s shogi pieces. What began in the 1830s as honorable side work for impoverished low-ranking samurai is today a METI-designated traditional craft, and the wooden koma (駒, “pieces”) that come out of Tendo range from everyday lacquer-lettered sets to collector-grade pieces with characters built up in raised lacquer.
This guide focuses on a full Tendo Shogi Koma wooden pieces set in the kakimoji (written) and carved hori-koma range — the grades most international buyers actually start with. We cover what separates the three traditional grades, what to verify before paying collector prices, and the realistic paths to buying a set from outside Japan.
Written from a Japan-based editor’s desk (working out of Toyama in the Hokuriku region and Nara in Kansai), this is a catalog-and-comparison piece, not a hands-on review. We read maker specs and listing data rather than physically testing every set, and we are explicit where the data is thin.
🔄 Updated:
⏱️ Read time: ~10 min
- Who this is for — and who should skip it
- Product overview (from published specs)
- 📍 Where this comes from — place, era, and the craft tradition
- 📦 Shipping & where to buy from outside Japan
- Price snapshot across stores
- What it does well
- Weaknesses and things to verify before buying
- Conclusion — which buyer type are you?
- Other ways to approach this purchase
- 🏆 Editor’s Pick
- ❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Who this is for — and who should skip it
- Play shogi and want a real wooden set, not a folding cardboard or plastic travel board
- Value a designated traditional craft with a documented place of origin
- Want to start with a kakimoji or carved hori-koma grade before considering collector moriage pieces
- Are buying a meaningful gift for a player, a Japanophile, or a board-game collector
- Are comfortable verifying grade and wood from listing photos and descriptions
- Just want to learn the rules — a printed practice set costs a fraction as much
- Need pieces and a board immediately; many sets are pieces-only
- Expect Western chess pieces — shogi uses flat, kanji-marked wedges, not figures
- Cannot read or match the Japanese characters and do not want to learn them
- Want a guaranteed price today — listing prices for wood crafts move, and our dataset for this item is thin
Product overview (from published specs)
Per the data available at the time of writing, the specific item highlighted here is identified by Amazon JP Global Store item ID B00YJ0R028 — a full Tendo Shogi Koma wooden pieces set in a boxwood/maple wood grade, lettered in the kakimoji or carved hori-koma style, made in Tendo, Yamagata. Detailed specifications are presented below; readers should treat them as listing-level descriptions rather than measured values.
| Attribute | Detail (per listing) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Craft | Tendo Shogi Koma (天童将棋駒, “Tendo shogi pieces”) | Maker direct / data notes |
| Item set | Full wooden pieces set (40 pieces); board not assumed included | Amazon JP Global Store |
| Wood | Boxwood / maple grade (varies by listing) | Amazon JP Global Store |
| Lettering grade | Kakimoji (written) or carved hori-koma | Data notes |
| Origin | Tendo, Yamagata Prefecture, Tōhoku | Maker direct / data notes |
| Designation | METI Traditional Craft (designated 1996) | Data notes |
| Item ID | B00YJ0R028 | Amazon JP Global Store |
| Price | Unconfirmed — check listing | — |
⚠️ Data note: Only the keyword-level dataset was available for this item — no live price or full listing snapshot was captured. Live pricing, exact wood grade, and whether a board is bundled may differ from the descriptions above. Verify on the listing before purchasing.
📖 Glossary — key terms
- shogi (将棋) — Japanese chess; played with 40 flat, wedge-shaped pieces marked with kanji on a 9×9 board.
- koma (駒) — the pieces themselves. “Shogi koma” = shogi pieces.
- kakimoji (書き駒) — the entry grade: characters written directly onto the wood in lacquer with a brush.
- hori-koma (彫り駒) — “carved pieces”: the character is engraved into the wood and the recess filled with lacquer.
- moriage (盛り上げ駒) — the top grade: lacquer is built up above the surface so the character stands in relief.
- kiri (桐, paulownia) — the light, moisture-buffering wood traditionally used for the storage box.
- Ningen Shogi (人間将棋) — “human shogi,” Tendo’s spring festival staging a live match with costumed people as pieces.
Other Japanese craft objects we have covered — including another Yamagata craft and several woodwork traditions worth weighing against a shogi set.
📍 Where this comes from — place, era, and the craft tradition
Tendo sits in the Yamagata basin of Tōhoku, the northern third of Honshu, inland from the Sea of Japan coast. The land here is shaped by the Mogami River — one of the three swiftest rivers in Japan — which drains the surrounding mountains and historically carried trade and timber through the basin. It is a region of hard winters, hot-spring towns, and orchard country, and the cold-season pause in farm work is exactly the kind of opening in which a precision wood craft can take hold.
The historical anchor is unusually specific. The Tendo domain was governed by the Oda clan — descendants of the warlord Oda Nobunaga. During the impoverished Tenpō era of the 1830s, the chief retainer Yoshida Daihachi (吉田大八) encouraged the domain’s low-ranking samurai to carve shogi pieces as honorable side work. Shogi, a game of strategy, was considered consistent with a warrior’s discipline, so piece-carving carried no stigma — unlike many other forms of paid handwork. That single policy decision is the seed of an industry.
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1830s (Tenpō era) — The Oda-clan Tendo domain, financially strained, sees chief retainer Yoshida Daihachi promote shogi-piece carving as honorable samurai side work. -
Late Edo period — Carving spreads from individual samurai households into a recognized town handicraft. -
Meiji era onward — Tendo grows into Japan’s dominant center for shogi-piece production. -
1996 — Tendo Shogi Koma is designated a Traditional Craft by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). -
Today (2026) — Tendo carves roughly 95% of all Japanese shogi pieces; the spring Ningen Shogi festival continues on Maizuru hill.
What “still being made here” means is concrete: the town did not merely host the craft for a generation and move on. Tendo became, and remains, the production heart of an entire national pastime — an estimated 95% of Japan’s shogi pieces are carved here. The grades that a buyer chooses between today are the same three that the tradition codified: kakimoji written in lacquer, carved hori-koma, and raised moriage.
“A craft that began as the honorable side work of impoverished samurai now supplies roughly nineteen of every twenty shogi pieces played in Japan.”
The town’s identity is not subtle about all this. Each spring, Tendo stages Ningen Shogi (人間将棋, “human shogi”) on Maizuru hill, where costumed players stand in for the pieces on a giant outdoor board. It is a festival, a tourist draw, and a fairly literal statement of what the place makes.
📦 Shipping & where to buy from outside Japan
The specific set covered here is sourced from the Amazon JP Global Store, which ships many household and hobby items internationally to most major destinations. For US, EU, and AU buyers, the realistic paths are:
- Amazon US (amazon.com) search — the easiest path if you are shopping from the US. Amazon US carries comparable Japanese shogi and board-game goods; the exact Tendo set is sourced from Japan (next path).
- Amazon JP Global Store (amazon.co.jp) — where this specific item (B00YJ0R028) is sourced. Ships internationally; expect a shipping and import-fee deposit at checkout.
- Proxy services (Buyee / Tenso) — useful if a particular grade or maker is listed only on Japan-domestic stores. Adds a service fee and a consolidation step.
International shipping for a boxed pieces set typically runs in the $15–$40 range to the US and EU, and higher to other regions. Orders above your country’s de-minimis threshold may attract customs duty or import VAT, collected by the carrier on delivery. Prices in USD are approximate and depend on the current exchange rate; a wooden pieces set is non-electrical, so no voltage adapter applies.
Price snapshot across stores
| Store | Item / Variant | Price (JPY + USD est.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 Amazon.com (US) | Browse Japanese shogi sets & pieces | varies (USD) | Best if you’re shopping from the US — Prime shipping, USD pricing, no international customs. Amazon US carries shogi boards and pieces from various sellers, useful for comparing grades and price tiers. The exact Tendo set is sourced from Japan (next row). |
| 🇯🇵 Amazon JP Global Store | Tendo Shogi Koma full wooden set (B00YJ0R028) | Unconfirmed — check listing | Ships internationally from Japan. This is the sourced listing for the specific set. Price was not captured in our dataset; verify before buying. |
| Maker direct | Tendo workshop / Tendo Shogi cooperative pieces | Unconfirmed — check maker site | Some Tendo makers sell direct; international shipping and English support vary by workshop. |
| Proxy services (Buyee / Tenso) | Japan-domestic listings forwarded abroad | Item price + service fee | Use when a specific grade or maker is listed only on Japan-domestic stores. Adds a forwarding fee. |
Prices and stock fluctuate; the affiliate links above point to current data. JPY is the authoritative price for the listed item — USD figures elsewhere are approximate at a ¥150/USD baseline as of mid-2026.
What it does well
A METI-designated traditional craft (1996) from a town that supplies roughly 95% of Japan’s shogi pieces. Provenance is part of the value.
Boxwood/maple-grade pieces lettered by hand in the kakimoji or carved hori-koma tradition — a different object entirely from a plastic travel set.
Kakimoji, hori-koma, and moriage give buyers an honest, well-understood quality scale to choose against their budget.
A boxed wooden set photographs well and carries a story — a credible gift for players, collectors, and admirers of Japanese craft.
Weaknesses and things to verify before buying
- Our data for this item is thin. No live price or full listing snapshot was captured. Confirm price, wood grade, and contents on the listing itself.
- Board may not be included. Many sets are pieces-only. If you do not already own a shogi board, budget for one separately.
- Grade affects price sharply. Kakimoji is the entry tier; carved hori-koma and especially moriage cost considerably more. Match the grade to your actual use.
- Kanji literacy helps. Pieces are marked with Japanese characters, not chess figures. Beginners should be ready to learn the eight piece types.
- Wood is sensitive to humidity. Keep the set in its box, away from direct sun and damp; sudden swings can affect wood and lacquer over time.
- International shipping and duties add cost. Factor $15–$40+ shipping and possible customs/VAT on top of the listed price.
Conclusion — which buyer type are you?
You want a moriage or fine hori-koma set as a keepsake or collector piece. Buy by grade and maker, and verify the lettering style closely.
You play regularly and want a real wooden set. A carved hori-koma grade is the sweet spot — durable lettering, fair price.
You want a genuine Tendo wooden set without the collector premium. A kakimoji (written) set is the honest entry point.
You only want to learn the rules, or you expected chess figures. A printed practice set serves better and costs far less.
Other ways to approach this purchase
Craft pieces rarely discount deeply, but Global Store shipping promotions and seasonal events can trim the landed cost. Watch the listing.
Well-kept used sets surface through Japanese marketplaces via proxy services. Inspect photos for lacquer wear and missing pieces.
If you buy through Amazon regularly, card or platform points can offset part of the price. Stack them with a Global Store order.
Not sure you’ll keep playing? Start with an inexpensive set and upgrade to a Tendo wooden set once the hobby sticks.
🏆 Editor’s Pick
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Does the set include a shogi board?
Not necessarily. Many Tendo sets are pieces-only. Check the specific listing’s contents; if you do not already own a board, budget for one separately.
What is the difference between kakimoji, hori-koma, and moriage?
Kakimoji pieces have characters written in lacquer onto the wood. Hori-koma pieces have the character carved and the recess lacquer-filled. Moriage pieces have the lacquer built up in relief above the surface — the highest and most collectible grade.
Can I buy a Tendo set from outside Japan?
Yes. The set covered here is sourced from the Amazon JP Global Store, which ships internationally to most major destinations. Proxy services such as Buyee or Tenso can forward Japan-domestic listings if a particular grade is not on the Global Store.
Why are almost all Japanese shogi pieces made in one town?
Tendo’s piece-carving began in the 1830s as honorable side work for low-ranking samurai of the Oda-clan domain, promoted by chief retainer Yoshida Daihachi. The craft concentrated there and grew; today Tendo carves roughly 95% of Japan’s shogi pieces.
How should I care for a wooden shogi set?
Keep the pieces in their box when not in use, away from direct sunlight and humidity. Avoid sudden temperature or moisture swings, which can affect both the wood and the lacquer lettering over time.
Is this a good gift for someone who does not play shogi?
It can be, as a craft object — a boxed wooden set from a designated traditional craft carries a clear story. But a complete beginner who only wants to learn the rules may be better served by an inexpensive printed practice set first.
Is the price shown reliable?
Our dataset for this item did not capture a live price, so figures here are unconfirmed. Always verify the current price and contents on the listing before purchasing.
jpmono.com is curated by a Japan-based editorial team (working out of Toyama in the Hokuriku region and Nara in Kansai) and is independent. We don’t take payment from the makers we feature; income comes from affiliate links. Read more about our editorial standards.
🤖 This article was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed against the source listing data available at the time of writing. Specifications and prices should be confirmed on the retailer’s page before purchase.
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