Tendo Shogi Pieces — Hand-Carved Chess Tradition

Tendo City produces over 90% of Japan's shogi pieces (将棋, Japanese chess), a craft tradition dating to the Edo period when low-ranking samurai turned to artisan work after losing stipends. The city's 170 artisans continue to hand-carve shogi pieces from wood (primarily Anemonopsis macrophylla or tsuge boxwood), using lacquer and vermillion to paint the kanji characters. High-grade pieces are masterworks of craftsmanship — the wood is aged 10+ years, carved with precision knives, and the characters are written by calligraphy masters before being filled with lacquer. The Tendo Shogi Museum displays historic sets, demonstrates carving techniques, and sells pieces ranging from ¥3,000 beginner sets to ¥500,000+ masterwork sets used in professional tournaments. The annual Ningen Shogi (人間将棋, 'Human Shogi') festival in late April features a massive outdoor shogi board where people in Sengoku-period armor serve as living game pieces, reenacting famous historical matches.