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Go Terms Used For Go Equipment
    Keywords: Culture & History, Go term, Equipment

I would like to see a list of translations of Go Terms used for Go equipment. When surfing the net for places where Go stuff can be purchased, I noticed that only very few things closely related to Go is being sold in these shops. And it was difficult for me to find places where additional material what you may need or want to play Go on a Go table in traditional asiatic fashioned style like arm rests, low chairs, floor cushions to sit on, fans etc. can be ordered on the net. Once I found out the Japanese terms used for these items, it became a bit more easy to find related things on the net. What I found out so far (Japanese-English):

  • Goban means 'Go table' or 'Go board'
  • Goishi means 'Go stones'
  • Goke is the term used for the bowls holding the Go stones
  • Kimono? is the term for traditional Japanese clothes, also sometimes worn by professional Go players in title matches
  • Kyosoku? (or Kyousoku) is the term used for the arm rest, a small, often padded table sometimes used in addition to a low chair and/or a floor cushion
  • Sensu? means 'fan'
  • Taikyokudokei? means 'match clock'
  • Tatami is the term for the mats you sit or kneel on when playing on a Go table
  • Zabuton is the 'floor cushion' where you sit on when playing on a Go table
  • Zaisu? is the 'low chair' (chair without legs) sometimes used in addition to a floor cushion

Please feel free to add to or correct this list. As I am neither a native English nor Japanese speaker, there are surely some mistakes too. What I am still missing in this list is for example the terms used for 'Go clocks' and for the small, low tables used to place the clocks next to the (thick) Go table. There are surely more things which would be interesting to know and fit into this list as well. Also the Chinese and Korean terms might be of interest. -- mafi


Andrew Grant: Do you think the terms from Tatami to Sensu? inclusive really belong in this list? They are just the normal Japanese words for these items, which are not go equipment in any real sense. It's a bit like compiling a list of English go terms and including words like "chair" and "table".

mafi?: If you would have read the introducing lines carefully, you would know the answer. May be we could dispute whether the title of this page is perfectly choosen or not. But terms like Zabuton and Zaisu? are exactly what I was looking for when starting this list. Actually I am not sure where the limit for this list is. For example whether terms like Kimono? would still have a place in this list or not. The meaning of the list is exactly what you mentioned, compiling a list of words, to make it easier finding such things on the net if you are looking for them.

Andrew Grant: Fair enough. But as you say, it's difficult to say where to draw the line. "Kimono" may be obsolete these days; certainly Japanese professionals wear Western clothes, even for top title matches. In general, people in Japan today (except the very old) only wear traditional clothing for major ceremonies. I saw a photograph once of Kato Masao in a kimono, at the ceremony to install him as Honinbo in 1977.

BobMcGuigan: Actually it's not uncommon for Japanese pros to wear kimono in title matches. Takemiya used to do it regularly, Yoda does it, and, as you say, Kato wears it for award ceremonies.

mafi?: I added Kimono? to the list and sorted the terms alphabetically.



This is a copy of the living page "Go Terms Used For Go Equipment" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2003 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.