Shogi pieces are not easy to make because of the fine calligraphy used.
After the Warring States period, many samurai were out of a job, their masters having either died or been demoted. I had read in a book that the village of Tendou had a samurai clan that decided not to go into banditry, but instead capitalized on their educated status to make Shogi pieces.
I wish that this emphasis on games led to the creation of the Nintendo Playing Card company, but I could find no such connection. It would have been a nice story.
In any case, the villages making game pieces will either need a way to print, burn or impress characters onto the wooden tiles, or use a simplified system of insignia to distinguish the pieces without calligraphy.