Hundreds of thousands of bronze coins in a ceramic jar. Found during excavations of a Samurai village dating back to the 15th century
Archaeology is a treasure hunt with historical information as the prize, and Japanese archaeologists recently hit the jackpot. They discovered a jar full of coins from the Middle Ages that belonged to a warrior.
The ceramic jar was found in the Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, and is one of the largest hals of medieval coi discovered in the country; it was unearthed near the residence of a fiftieth-century samrai.The jar, which comes from the first part of the 15th century, weighs well over 100,000 pounds and measures about 24 inches in diameter.According to archaeologist Yoshiyki Takise of the Saitama Cultural Deposits Research Corporationoratio, the coi, which were cast in Chia, may have been made as an offering to the deity of the eat, or may simply have been bried for safekeeping.
A wood tablet with the inscription “ihyak rokj” (260) writte i ik was unearthed next to the stoe lid. Archaeologists believe this could allude to 260 ka, or iterations of 1,000, putting the amount in the jar at 260,000 coi.
The treasure was buried 6.5 feet (2 meters) below ground and was most likely deposited there to protect the samrai’s treasures during a difficult period in Japanese history.
Civil war, also known as the Mromachi shogate, was fought throughout the 15th century.
During this time, the Emperor was relatively powerless, with military dictators known as shogs ruling the country.
Different families jockeyed for position and power throughout the second part of the 15th century, leading to increased violece.
A ceramic jar packed with thosads of broze coi has been earthed at the site of a fiftieth-cetry samrai’s residence in a tow jst north of Tokyo.
Feudal lords, known as daimy, challenged the shog’s authority, and it was at this time that ijas were frequently hired and used as ecet assassins.
With that picture in mind, it’s evident that a powerful samrai would want to keep his money hidden.
For the time being, 70 coi have been examined. These cois were looped on a strig and included 19 different cois from Chia and other parts of Japan.
All of the cois, which have holes in the center, are thought to have been strung together on a rope before being placed in the jar.
Based on the evidence so far, scholars assume the jar was buried sometime after the second half of the 15th century.
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