Ritual vessels made for the royal ancestral rites of the Joseon dynasty as well as the food offered varied in type depending on the seasons and the purpose of the ritual. They were made according to the principles of Yin and Yang, the five elements.

Depending on its variety, grain was served in two different types of containers, and they were placed at the center of the ritual table flanked by stemmed bowls holding side-dishes. Bo (簠), a rectangular-shaped vessel symbolizing the earth or ‘Yin’ contained rice and sorghum. Gwe (簋), a round vessel symbolizing heaven or ‘Yang’, held sticky and light millet. Two handles are attached on the sides of each vessel and both the body and lid of the vessel are encircled with an identical pattern.

In the rites held at Sajik-dan (社稷壇, Altar of the Earth and Grain Deities), a pair of rectangular bo vessels were placed at the center-west of the table with sorghum in front and rice at the back, and a pair of round gwe vessels were put at the center-east of the table with sticky millet in front and light millet at the back. In the case of ritual tables at Jongmyo (宗廟, Royal Ancestral Shrine), a row of four bo vessels holding rice and sorghum respectively were placed in the center-back, and a row of four gwe vessels holding sticky and light millets respectively were put immediately in front of the bo vessels.