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Goishi
    Keywords: Equipment

Goishi is the Japanese term for the black and white Go stones. In Japanese, go means Go (igo), and ishi means stone (or rock).

Traditionally, stones are made of slate (black) and shell (white).

However, this is by no means required. In old times, when gobans were decorated, stones could be made from gems or other material. Jade stones were commonly used in China's upper classes and are still used in some Chinese tournament games (e.g. Sonoda Yuichi versus Zhang Wendong, 1989).

There is not even a strict necessity for Black and White, as long as two colours are used which are easily distinguishable.

Nowadays, stones which are bought are typically made of glass, or even plastic. (In China, especially near Jingdezhen, ceramic stones are available. While I prefer the pricier glass ones for their sound and heft, the ceramic ones actually look a little nicer. -- Michael Richter)

Should you want to buy shell and slate stones, be prepared to pay for them. The slate is (relatively) easily found, but the shell is (very) expensive. Shell stones are also judged to be 'better' (and more expensive) if there is a large number of visible lines on them, especially if the lines are straight.

Shell stones are often identified by "grade". For stones made from shell harvested off the coast of Japan the grades are: Flower (Hana), Moon (Tsuki) and Snow (Yuki), from lowest to highest. Snow grade are the whitest stones with the finest pattern (and thus the most expensive). Moon and flower or "standard" grade have broader lines and slight discoloration. For stones made from clams harvested off the coast of Baja California (Mexico) the grades are Standard (Jitsuyo), Moon, and Snow. Japanese clam stones are several times the price of stones made from Mexican clams. For more information, see [ext] http://www.kurokigoishi.co.jp/online_shop/english/go/goishi.html.

Very few people ever get around to making their own stones from scratch. However, quite a few have made low-cost stones from buttons, glass ends, etc. There has even been discussion about using peppermints, bottletops etc.


See also Caring for Go stones, Making Your Own Equipment.



This is a copy of the living page "Goishi" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2004 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.