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Goishi
    Keywords: Equipment

Go-ishi is the Japanese term (written 碁石) for the black and white Go stones, ishi meaning stone (or rock).

Traditionally, Japanese stones are made of slate (black) and shell (white). Chinese traditional stones are sintered (powdered and then melted together) jade (black) and quartz (white).

However, this is by no means required. In old times, when go boards 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 the stones to be 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.


Yunzi 云子 - Go/Weiqi stones from Yunnan called Yunzi [云子] YunziStonesFromYunnan

mdh Can anyone tell me anything about Yunzhi Stones. I have thinking of getting a set of Chinese style stones (Flat on the bottom) And I have been seeing these Yunzhi Stones in bamboo woven bowls on ebay for (USA)$49.99. They say they are actually a stone (Marble) material, not glass, plastic or ceramic. The only other reference I have found to chinese stones at the main online dealers is from Yutopian about Yunnan stones that are in the Japanese style which I would take to mean rounded on both sides.

Niklaus: Maybe you'll find more info if you look for Yunzi (short for Yunnan Qizi) instead of Yunzhi, which appears to be a typo.

mdh The spelling you see above (Yunzhi) is what is given in the Ebay auction. But the problem remains that I have not been able to find a source for good Chinese style go stones. They don't have to be Yunzi. Doing a google on Yunzi, Yunzi Go Stones didn't help. Chinese Go Stones does a little better but there is too much junk.

John F. You can't mix Chinese and Japanese and expect Google to sort it out! Go and stones are Japanese terms. Use yunzi weiqi or yunzi weiqi pieces.

Niklaus: Apparently the Chinese aren't yet into exporting weiqi equipment (I guess the domestic market is still a little bit bigger :), as google really doesn't turn up much. However I just found the website of the "Yunnan Weiqi Factory" at [ext] http://www.yun-zi.com. Most of it is in Chinese, but if you click at the link below the nice picture of the company president, there's a little bit translated into english.

Yunzi Owner: I have a set of chinese style yunzi. I find them very attractive - they are very uniform in size, beautiful in colour, heavy and have large specific heat capacity (i.e. feels cool to the touch, or warm if they have been left in the sun). Another nice thing about them is the sound they make when you rattle them in the bowls (or put a large capture of enemy stones in the lids) - it is very pleasing to the ear.

The material they are made from is supposedly secret, but it is certainly nothing like plastic - more like glass, ceramics or stone without being any of these - I dont really know what to compare them to, but you wont be disappointed. They are certainly a quality product. The straw bowls are, lets say, at rustic touch and part of the experience.

Apart from ebay you may like to try [ext] http://www.go-gamestore.com/ or [ext] http://www.yellowemperorbooks.com (look under cultural supplies). I got mine from Yellow Emperor, but be advised that these are chinese sized (if there is such a thing), which is to say too large for a standard japanese goban. Luckily I had a slightly larger goban they fit on. Yunzi comes in several sizes - apparently go-gamestore sells the size that fits a japanese goban, but I have no experience with them.

mAsterdam: At the [ext] Yellow River Bookstore in Amsterdam (100 m. from Dam) I bought a very nice set. The white stones have a beautiful green glow. The sound makes you want to play more. There is nothing mistique about the sound of one hand. This is it. In one of the straw bowls there was a yellow nylon cloth with a 19x19 grid on it. A 35 Euro portable go ... err ... wei qi set.

John F. Here's a story about the photo at the bottom of the [ext] http://www.yun-zi.com homepage. It shows Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh being presented with a set of Yunnan stones during a state visit to China in October 1986.

This story will make most sense to UK readers, but still... On a visit to China a couple of years ago, I saw a flyer for Yunnan stones in a department store. It had this picture on it. I had not known before that the Queen had been given such a present and so started talking to a salesgirl about it. We soon attracted a crowd. What puzzled me was that no-one knew who this famous person was. So I decided to give them a clue. I said that this was the most important lady in England. Recognition dawned all round: "Ah, Mrs Thatcher!" they said.

Having been on a quasi-state visit with Mrs Thatcher to Korea, I could understand their confusion, but of course I knew that the Chinese visit was on a much higher level. In particular, presents exchanged in such cases are normally kept in a government store, to be wheeled out for display when the visit is reciprocated. I was hoping to get a close-up photograph. However, on inquiry, it turned out that these stones had appealed to the Queen so much that she decided to keep them in her own apartments at Sandringham. I have visions of her offering them as Mint Imperials after dinner, but short of a personal invitation it doesn't look like I can ever see these stones or find out why they really appealed.

mdh To finish this thread out. I bought the stones. And to the person that said it was Yunzi and not Yunzhi, the printed sticker on one of the bamboo bowls says Yunzhi next to some chinese characters. I bought them from freeblue collectables through Ebay. If you hold the black stones up to a light they are slightly transparent with a nice color of green. There was a folded yellow vinyl board in one of the bowls.

I spent the first night cleaning the white powder off of them. The next night, I went through a game on my 1" slotted board (agathis). Here are my first impressions. The stones have some weight to them. They are at least as heavy as Ing stones. Holding them between the first and middle finger is not as easy. They are a little tighter on the board then regular stones, but not so that they are unusable. All in all, it will take a few games before I fully decide if I switch over to them from my old glass set.

John F. It is Yunzi, but Yunzhi here may mean something like manufactured in Yunnan - we'd need to see the characters to know, But the real point I want to make is to ask whether you aware that a Chinese board is bigger than a Japanese one (and is square)? Also, the habit of using two fingers like prongs is a Japanese one. I've shared your hesitation about using Chinese stones, and I haven't really liked any Chinese board I've ever seen. Maybe first loves are impossible to ditch.

Yunzi Owner: A little tip - after cleaning the black Yunzi giving them a little oil really brings out the color. Put the stones in a plastic bag and add a very small amount of oil and twirl the stones around in the bag for a minute or two. Wipe the stones clean of excess oil. Litterally one or two drops of oil is enough - err on the side of caution, you dont want to turn your new stones into an oily mess. Get an oil suitable for applying to stone surfaces or light sewing machine oil. Don't use cooking oil. The difference this makes to the appearance is dazzling - keep a stone unolied and see for yourself. Only do this to the black yunzi - it does not seem to do much for the white. axd: worse: oil is not good for the shell stones.

mdh I did not know that the Chinese board was a larger (and square) The vinyl board that came with the set does match your description of larger and square but I thought it was because it was a cheap add on. I will have to give the oil idea a try, thanks.

Seffer Yunzi stones are made of jadeite, a type of jade, or so I've been told.


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



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