Okuragahama
beach
4km long Okuragahama beach is the starting point og Clam Go Stone production at Hyuga-city.
If it were not for this beautiful beach, the Clam Go Stone producing technigue would have vanished.
Now this beach is included in a list of the top 100 beaches in Japan.
Like in old times, the beach sings the sound of the ocean.
The history of the game of go is very old. It is said that people enjoyed the game from about 1100 B.C. in China, and from Taiho-era ( 701 A.D. ～ 703 A.D. ) in japan.
They used to play it with natural white stones and black stones, but began to make go stones of clam shells in the seventeenth century.
It wasn't until the mid-Meiji era ( 1868 ～ 1912 ) however, that the clam shells of Hyuga were discovered as a material for producing Go Stones.
A pharmacist from Toyama came to Hyuga and took clams to Osaka, where they used to make Go Stones brought in from Hitachi and Kuwana at that time.
Compared to those from Hitachi and Kuwana, the clams of Hyuga are much thicker, more beautiful, and have a finer grain.
This led to Hyuga's Go Stones building a great reputation.
In 1908 a Go Stone craftsman moved from Osaka and began making Go Stones at Hyuga city.
Since then Clam Go Stone production became prosperous in Hyuga whilst dying out in other regions.
Though clam shells in Hyuga are on the brink of extinction and are imported largely from Mexico now, the Go Stone making technigue has been handed down from generation to generation, and now Hyuga city is the only place in Japan where Go Stones, including black stones are being produced.
There are several Go Stone manufacturers in Hyuga city, although < the production method and the shape >, < sorting standard > varies depending on the shop.
「那智黒石」
黒碁石は黒石では最高品質の那智黒石（三重県熊野産）が使用され、すべての蛤碁石には那智黒石がセットされています。
那智黒石には金の純度を見分ける、試金石にも使用されています。
