Gomoku originated around the Hwang Ho delta in China as early as 2000 BC. This spread to Japan in 7th century BC where Gomoku became established as a game of excellence and Japan the centre for this game. Gomoku's popularity is fuelled by being playable on a Go (AKA: Wei-chi and Badu) board with Go counters, so also became a popular quick alternative to the longer and harder game of Go.