This is so cool, LOOK what Art sent me!!

[yuiyoshida]

Its called a Koban and Art_from_Ark sent it from Japan. About the Koban..



The koban was a Japanese oval gold coin in Edo period feudal Japan, equal to one ryō, another early Japanese monetary unit. It was a central part of Tokugawa coinage.

The Keichō era koban, a gold piece, contained about one ryō of gold, so that koban carried a face value of one ryō. However, successive mintings of the koban had varying (usually diminishing) amounts of gold. As a result, the ryō as a unit of weight of gold and the ryō as the face value of the koban were no longer synonymous.

This is about the size of a quarter or 50cent piece and a bit thicker. It has gold plating. These are sold at Shinto Shrines and are considered good luck pieces!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koban_%28coin%29

more...http://japanvisitor.blogspot.com/2011/12/koban-gold-coins.html

Thanks again Art!

[Art_from_Ark]

1. I'm glad you like it :)

Of course, it's not a *real* koban-- those things sell for upwards of $800! But the "Kanda Myoujin (or Kanda Jinja) Koban", which is what I sent to Yui Yoshida, is supposed to bring good luck and good fortune. And you might say it is a coincidence, but since I bought my first one at the Kanda Myoujin shrine in Tokyo last month, I've gotten a good deal on wireless Internet service, I have more work than I can handle right now, and I just found out I'm due for a nice tax refund

[Art_from_Ark]

2. Here is where I bought the lucky koban

[Kali]

3. very cool, you guys!