Hello,

I recently stumbled upon this set of glass go stones.
Box seems to have Japanese characters on it, so I guess these are Japanese glass stones?

Is someone able to tell me what the text on the box says?

Are these decent stones for a beginner, or are they really cheap/poor quality?

Thanks a bunch,

Blitz

PS. Sorry for the huge photos...

And another close-up of the stones!

Maybe I can help out a bit with the Japanese.

The small label on the box is just some sort of warning list, what you shouldn't do, like "Don't use for anything but Go" or "Don't put it in your mouth" etc.

鳳凰碁石 seems to be the product or company name, something like Phoenix Go Stones. No idea if the company is actually Japanese though, but it seems likely.

竹 is their indicator for the thickness of the stones, in this case 9 mm (from what I could find online).

And they're indeed glass stones, not plastic or anything fancier than glass. I don't know much about Japanese stones, but the brand seems to be pretty popular and reviews suggest they're of decent enough quality. In Japan they seem to go for around 5500-6000 Yen, just as a reference.
I guess they're sufficient for beginners. I'd be happy to have a set, but being a beginner with cheap Korean 30$ 7 mm stones myself, I might not the best person to ask

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Hey there,

Thanks a lot for your answer, gives me already a bit more information on these.
Any further details would be greatly appreciated!

Blitz

Based on appearances (blunted edged stones) and the name (Phoenix) I strongly suspect these are of Korean origin. For example, on the US eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Baduk-Stone-Bongwhang-Phoenix-Special-Shinkwang-Paduk-Go-WeiQi-Professional/270956691457?hash=item3f16470001:g:OeAAAOxy4c5Rx1Gj

Japanese stones I have seen almost always have a "sharper" edge to them.

HTH

Thanks, Schwartzseer! I see the similarities between the company names. Any more opinions? Could there also exist a Japanese Phoenix company?

Blitz

Hi,
it's usually said that Japanese stones have better quality than Korean (more regular shape) and according my limited experience, Korean glass stones are not best balanced between upper and lower convexity (each half having a different centre).

Anyway I think that a 8 mm set of glass stone is not a bad start and can be appropriate for a travel set.
What kind of goban and bowls do you have?

Galation

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Ok! I don’t own any bowls or goban yet.
Think a ‘simple’ chestnut set of bowls would look good with these modest glass stones?

I’m thinking of making a goban myself, since I want to start out on a 9x9 or 13x13 board anyway.

Blitz