page_title: Go equipment
section_title: Bowls
hierarchical_section_title: Go equipment / Equipment / Bowls
caption_attribution_description: goban, bowls
context_page_description: Go equipment consists of the objects that are necessary in order to play the game of Go which originated in China. Although the equipment is simple, there is a varying degree of quality and material used in making the equipment, from the economical to the extremely valuable.
context_section_description: Go bowls, or go-ke are the containers for the stones. Although not strictly needed to play Go, bowls nevertheless play an important role in storing the stones, and captured stones can be placed on the lids. Bowls are identical, with one holding the white stones and one holding the black stones.
  A bowl's lid is usually rather loose and not tightly fit.  A player traditionally places the lid upside down next to the open bowl and keeps stones there that they have captured from the opponent. The lid is placed so it's easily visible by the opponent, so each player knows how many prisoners the opponent has that are physically removed from the playing board.
  The Go bowl can be made of several different materials.
  Plastic: Very cheap, they can be cylinder shaped or square shaped. The price is around US$5. Quart size plastic food storage containers can also be used.
  Straw: Mostly used by the Chinese. They are made of woven straw. The price is around US$10–25.
  Wood: The most common material used to make bowls. The type of wood used affects the price considerably. Mulberry is one of the most striking and expensive. Intermediate woods are quince (karin in Japanese), kaya, cherry, keyaki, and rosewood. Cheaper ones are made out of beech or chestnut. Bamboo also makes for a nice, low-cost bowl. The bowl can be polished. The best bowls are carved from a single piece of wood and have their grains highlighted. The price range varies from $50 to thousands of dollars.
  Not all bowls can fit a full set of stones. Most can only hold stones with a thickness of up to 10 mm. Larger and more expensive bowls hold stones of thickness of up to 12 mm since one would buy thicker and more expensive stones to match the quality of the bowl.
  The bowls of highest quality and price are traditionally used only for the best shell and slate stones, of Yuki (snow-grade) quality. Lesser quality wood bowls likewise are used for Jitsuyo (standard-grade) and Tsuki (moon-grade) shell and slate stones, and glass stones are traditionally stored in the least expensive wood bowls or in plastic bowls. A list of woods used in Japanese Go bowls with photographs is available.
caption: Wooden Go bowls on a Japanese-style floor board
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