Gold Coins ("Koban") 小判金こばんきん

Description

Characterized by various marks and seals, [koban] coins were in circulation throughout the Edo period (1603–1868). They were mainly made of gold-silver alloys of differing ratios depending on when they were minted.

The koban and ichibukin are gold coins that circulated during the Edo period, which began in the 17th century. Both were made of a gold-silver alloy, and because the ratio used varied over time, it is possible to determine the approximate date a coin was issued by examining its composition. Four ichibukin were equal to one koban.

The koban is a flat ellipse, the front of which is marked with fine horizontal lines. A vertical inscription reads “one ryo,” and paulownia crests, long used as symbols of government authority, are visible on its upper and lower ends. The back side of the koban, in contrast, is stamped with small, circular emblems in its lower left section. These circular emblems were stamped into the coins over the course of production to guarantee their quality. Some koban were stamped with more marks that are even smaller. These marks were impressed into the koban by money changers when the coins were used to certify their value. The front of the ichibukin is likewise marked with paulownia crests and the horizontal inscription “one bu,” written from right to left.

The coins you see here were discovered in 1956 in Ginza, Tokyo, one of Japan’s foremost shopping districts. During the Edo period, there was a mint for coins in Ginza. These coins were discovered by chance in a dumping site for earth and sand during the reconstruction of a commercial building in Ginza. They consisted of 208 koban and 60 ichibukin. This news was reported with surprise day after day. The details of why this cache of money was buried in the ground, however, remain unknown. It has been a custom in Japan to bury money in the ground, either to appease the land or to hide it for safekeeping, since ancient times. These coins must also have been buried for some purpose.