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45-815: As Yongle Tongbao cash coins were primarily used only for foreign trade, it is extremely uncommon for Yongle Tongbao coins to be found in archaeological digs within China's borders. In fact very few coin hoards of Ming dynasty coins in China ever contain any Yongle Tongbao coins, comparatively Yongle Tongbao coins are dug up in large quantities in countries like India , Sri Lanka , Malaysia , Singapore , Indonesia , Thailand , Vietnam , South Korea and Japan , these coin hoards often weigh tens of tons. Outside of Asia Yongle Tongbao cash coins have also been found in places like Africa and Yukon . In Japan Eiraku Tsūhō (the Japanese reading of Yongle Tongbao) cash coins became

90-523: A mon with a torii gate indicated a family associated with Shinto , a mon with a gissha wheel indicated nobility, and a mon with a crowbar indicated a family associated with construction. The mon of nature was a symbol of respect for nature and prayers for a good harvest, and motifs such as the moon, mountains, and thunder were used. The most commonly used mon motifs are wisteria , paulownia , hawk feathers, flowering quince , and creeping woodsorrel , which are called

135-581: A mon , but unlike before the Meiji Restoration when rigid social divisions existed, mon play a more specialized role in everyday life. On occasions when the use of a mon is required, one can try to look up their families in the temple registries of their ancestral hometown or consult one of the many genealogical publications available. Many websites also offer mon lookup services. Professional wedding planners , undertakers and other "ritual masters" may also offer guidance on finding

180-482: A family. An authoritative mon reference compiles Japan's 241 general categories of mon based on structural resemblance (a single mon may belong to multiple categories), with 5,116 distinct individual mon . However, it is well acknowledged that there are a number of lost or obscure mon . Among mon , the mon officially used by the family is called jōmon ( 定紋 ) . Over time, new mon have been created, such as kaemon ( 替紋 ) , which

225-456: A half thousand soldiers for this decisive battle, Oda Nobunaga then went to pray for a victorious military campaign at the nearby Atsuta-jingū , he asked the Gods to show him a sign that his prayers would be answered and while looking at a handful of Eiraku Tsūhō cash coins decided to throw them in the air, when they fell back on the ground they all landed with heads up , he took this as a sign that

270-464: A motif on his nobori was because Eiraku Tsūhō were originally all imported from Ming China during the Muromachi period and spread throughout Japan as the de facto currency, speculation has it that Nobunaga tried to emulate this by having Eiraku Tsūhō as his emblem meaning that his power too shall spread throughout Japan. The tsuba Oda Nobunaga was carrying during his military campaigns which had

315-482: A slightly different mon from the senior branch. Each princely family ( shinnōke ), for example, uses a modified chrysanthemum crest as their mon . Mon holders may also combine their mon with that of their patron, benefactor or spouse, sometimes creating increasingly complicated designs. Mon are essentially monochrome; the color does not constitute part of the design and they may be drawn in any color. Virtually all modern Japanese families have

360-537: A temple or church become the property of that institution, and may be used to its benefit. Mon (emblem) Mon ( 紋 ) , also called monshō ( 紋章 ) , mondokoro ( 紋所 ) , and kamon ( 家紋 ) , are Japanese emblems used to decorate and identify an individual, a family, or (more recently) an institution, municipality or business entity. While mon is an encompassing term that may refer to any such device, kamon and mondokoro refer specifically to emblems that are used to identify

405-623: A very common design and many private and government mints produced copies of the coin. The design of an Eiraku Tsūhō coin was also used on the flag of Oda Nobunaga . After the Yongle Emperor had ordered their production the Yongle Tongbao cash coins started being produced in the mints of Beijing , Nanjing , and Fujian as well as the provincial mints of Zhejiang and Guangdong . However, as these coins were primarily manufactured for foreign trade and to be carried by envoys of

450-648: Is a collection of personal objects buried for safety in times of unrest. A hoard of loot is a buried collection of spoils from raiding and is more in keeping with the popular idea of " buried treasure ". Votive hoards are different from the above in that they are often taken to represent permanent abandonment, in the form of purposeful deposition of items, either all at once or over time for ritual purposes, without intent to recover them . Furthermore, votive hoards need not be "manufactured" goods, but can include organic amulets and animal remains. Votive hoards are often distinguished from more functional deposits by

495-584: Is no set rule for such names. Unlike in European heraldry, however, this "blazon" is not prescriptive—the depiction of a mon does not follow the name—instead the names only serve to describe the mon . The pictorial depictions of the mon are not formalized and small variations of what is supposed to be the same mon can sometimes be seen, but the designs are for the most part standardized through time and tradition. The degree of variation tolerated differ from mon to mon as well. For example,

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540-535: Is the logo for the famous soy sauce maker Kikkoman , which uses the family mon of the founder, and finally, the logo of music instrument/equipment and motorcycle builder Yamaha , which shows three tuning forks interlocked into the shape of a capital 'Y' in reference to both their name and the origin of the company. Japanese mon are sometimes used as charges or crests in Western heraldry . They are blazoned in traditional heraldic style rather than in

585-457: Is unofficially created by an individual, and onnamon ( 女紋 ) , which is created by a woman after marriage by modifying part of her original family's mon , so that by 2023 there will be a total of 20,000 to 25,000 mon . The devices are similar to the badges and coats of arms in European heraldic tradition, which likewise are used to identify individuals and families. Mon are often referred to as crests in Western literature,

630-484: The kabuto (helmet), on the do (breast plate), and on flags and various other places. Mon also adorned coffers, tents, fans and other items of importance. As in the past, modern mon are not regulated by law, with the exception of the Imperial Chrysanthemum , which doubles as the national emblem, and the paulownia, which is the mon of the office of prime minister and also serves as

675-456: The godaimon ( 五大紋 , five major mon ) . However, according to a dictionary of mon published by Shogakukan , oak is listed instead of paulownia. There are more than 150 types of wisteria mon , and their use by the Fujiwara clan led to their popularization. Similar to the blazon in European heraldry, mon are also named by the content of the design, even though there

720-471: The mon of the wearer. Commoners without mon often used those of their patron or the organization they belonged to. In cases when none of those were available, they sometimes used one of the few mon which were seen as "vulgar", or invented or adapted whatever mon they wished, passing it on to their descendants. It was not uncommon for shops, and therefore shop-owners, to develop mon to identify themselves. Occasionally, patron clans granted

765-567: The Kamakura period (1185–1333) also began to use mon . By the 12th century, sources give a clear indication that heraldry had been implemented as a distinguishing feature, especially for use in battle. It is seen on flags, tents, and equipment. On the battlefield, mon served as army standards , even though this usage was not universal and uniquely designed army standards were just as common as mon -based standards (cf. sashimono , uma-jirushi ). Gradually, mon spread to

810-766: The Tokugawa shogunate in 1608. Despite this however Bitasen continued to circulate within Japan, but from 1670 the Eiraku Tsūhō was completely prohibited from circulation and depreciated in favour of the government produced Kan'ei Tsūhō cash coins. On the 5th month of the year Eiroku 3 (永禄三年, or 1560 in the Gregorian calendar ), daimyō Oda Nobunaga was preparing for the Battle of Okehazama and while he had an army of forty thousand men, he could only gather around two and

855-464: The crane and the turtle , which, according to tradition, were symbols of longevity and were used to wish the family a long and prosperous life. Plant mon were symbols of wealth and elegance, so they were often used to wish for the improvement of the family's social status and economic power, and motifs such as wisteria and paulownia were often used. Mon depicting buildings, vehicles, or tools often indicated occupation or status. For example,

900-525: The Chinese court they generally did not circulate within China itself as silver coinage and banknotes would continue to remain the dominant media of exchange. Under subsequent rulers coinage could continue to only be sparsely produced. From 1587 Japan started exporting goods to China and received Chinese copper-alloy cash coins in return for payment, around this time the Japanese stopped minting their own coins and started relying heavily on Chinese cash coins as

945-570: The Eiraku Tsūhō inlayed into it was nicknamed the "invincibility tsuba" (まけずの鍔) as he had won all battles he had fought while carrying that tsuba. The Eiraku Tsūhō are divided on this tsuba with 6 being on the omote and 7 of them are displayed on the ura side. This tsuba was declared to be a kokuhō (national treasure) in 1920. From 1461 the Ryukyu Kingdom under the reign of King Shō Toku started minting Sekō Tsūhō (世高通寳) cash coins based on

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990-551: The Gods must've really spoken through these coins to which Nobunaga replied by saying the Zen Buddhist proverb "I only know that I'm okay with what I got" (吾唯知足, ware tada taru o shiru ) and presented to him an Eiraku Tsūhō coin of which both the obverse and reverse sides were heads. Family crests with this proverb written around a square hole resembling a cash coin are not uncommon among military families. Another possibility as to why Oda Nobunaga used Eiraku Tsūhō cash coins as

1035-407: The Gods would bless him and informed his men that they shall be victorious as they Gods favoured them. After winning the battle he used the Eiraku Tsūhō as a motif for his nobori (a type of flag or banner) and then he had these Eiraku Tsūhō coins inlayed on the tsuba of the sword which he carried during the battle. After Oda Nobunaga's forces were victorious his retainer Hayashi Hidesada said that

1080-528: The Ming dynasty have been unearthed in the East African country of Kenya , in 2010 a team of Kenyan and Chinese archeologists uncovered a Yongle Tongbao cash coin in the village of Mambrui which is just north of Malindi , this coin and other objects of Chinese origin in the area were taken as evidence of how far Zheng He 's expedition reached as it is likely that this coin was brought to the island through

1125-760: The Yongle Tongbao, these coins were manufactured by using circulating Yongle Tongbao coins as mother coins and carving the characters Sekō (世高) out of the Yongle inscription on the top and bottom of the coin, this made the Sekou appear rounded while the Tsūhō (通寳) remained very angular, as copper shrinks during the cooling part of the manufacturing process these Sekō Tsūhō tend to be diminutive in size. Like regular Yongle Tongbao cash coins it's not uncommon for Ryukyuan cash coins from this period to also be found in coin hoards in countries like Indonesia. Yongle Tongbao cash coins produced by

1170-498: The antiquities market, it often happens that miscellaneous objects varying in date and style have become attached to the original group. Such "dealer's hoards" can be highly misleading, but better understanding of archaeology amongst collectors, museums and the general public is gradually making them less common and more easily identified. Hoards may be of precious metals , coinage , tools or less commonly, pottery or glass vessels. There are various classifications depending on

1215-481: The crest being a European heraldic device similar to the mon in function. Japanese mon influenced Louis Vuitton 's monogram designs through Japonisme in Europe in the late 1800s. Mon originated in the mid- Heian period ( c.  900–1000 ) as a way to identify individuals and families among the nobility. They had a pecking order, and when gissha ( 牛車 , bullock cart ) passed each other on

1260-533: The emblem of the cabinet and government (see national seals of Japan for further information). Some local governments and associations may use a mon as their logo or trademark , thus enjoying its traditional protection, but otherwise mon are not recognized by law. One of the best known examples of a mon serving as a corporate logo is that of Mitsubishi , a name meaning 'three lozenges' (occasionally translated as 'three buffalo nuts '), which are represented as rhombuses. Another example of corporate use

1305-427: The formality of the kimono, with formality ranging from the most formal 'full sun' ( hinata ) crests to the least formal 'shadow' ( kage ) crests. Very formal kimono display more mon , frequently in a manner that makes them more conspicuous; the most formal kimono display mon on both sides of the chest, on the back of each sleeve, and in the middle of the back. On the armor of a warrior, it might be found on

1350-425: The hoard, and these surviving hoards might then be uncovered much later by metal detector hobbyists, members of the public, and archaeologists . Hoards provide a useful method of providing dates for artifacts through association as they can usually be assumed to be contemporary (or at least assembled during a decade or two), and therefore used in creating chronologies. Hoards can also be considered an indicator of

1395-630: The internal demand for copper coinage increased. The Eiraku Tsūhō coin in Japan is known as a toraisen (" Tang money" or "Chinese money"), and other cash coins with Ming dynasty era inscriptions also started circulating in Japan. As the imports of Chinese cash coins didn't fulfill the demand the Japanese market had many Japanese mints started casting reproductions of these toraisen which were known as shichūsen , and shichūsen of inferior quality were known as bitasen or money made from bad metal . These coins with Ming dynasty inscriptions remained in circulation in Japan until they were officially prohibited by

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1440-513: The lower classes, and in the Muromachi period (1336–1573), merchants painted emblems on their shop signs, which became mon . In the Edo period (1603–1867), kabuki actors used mon , and the general public was allowed to choose and use their favorite mon . By the Genroku period (1680–1709) in the early Edo period, the use of mon was fully established among the general public. However,

1485-422: The nature of the goods themselves (from animal bones to diminutive artifacts), the places buried (being often associated with watery places, burial mounds and boundaries), and the treatment of the deposit (careful or haphazard placement and whether ritually destroyed/broken). Valuables dedicated to the use of a deity (and thus classifiable as "votive") were not always permanently abandoned. Valuable objects given to

1530-439: The nature of the hoard: A founder's hoard contains broken or unfit metal objects, ingots , casting waste, and often complete objects, in a finished state. These were probably buried with the intention to be recovered at a later time. A merchant's hoard is a collection of various functional items which, it is conjectured, were buried by a traveling merchant for safety, with the intention of later retrieval. A personal hoard

1575-418: The obverse side of the 500 yen coin . Items symbolizing family crafts, arts or professions were often chosen as a mon ; likewise, mon were, and still are, also passed down a lineage of artists. Geisha typically wear the mon of their okiya (geisha house) on their clothing when working; individual geisha districts, known as hanamachi , also have their own distinctive mon , such as

1620-411: The paulownia crest with 5-7-5 leaves is reserved for the prime minister, whereas paulownia with fewer leaves could be used by anyone. The imperial chrysanthemum also specifies 16 petals, whereas chrysanthemum with fewer petals are used by other lesser imperial family members. Japanese heraldry does not have a cadency or quartering system, but it is not uncommon for cadet branches of a family to choose

1665-507: The plover crest ( chidori ) of Ponto-chō in Kyoto . A woman may still wear her maiden mon if she wishes and pass it on to her daughters; she does not have to adopt her husband's or father's mon . Flowers, trees, plants and birds are also common elements of mon designs. Mon also add formality to a kimono . A kimono may have one, three or five mon . The mon themselves can be either formal or informal, depending on

1710-494: The proper mon . Mon are seen widely on stores and shops engaged in traditional crafts and specialties. They are favored by sushi restaurants, which often incorporate a mon into their logos. Mon designs can even be seen on the ceramic roof tiles of older houses. Mon designs frequently decorate senbei , sake , tofu and other packaging for food products to lend them an air of elegance, refinement and tradition. The paulownia mon appears on

1755-926: The relative degree of unrest in ancient societies. Thus conditions in 5th and 6th century Britain spurred the burial of hoards, of which the most famous are the Hoxne Hoard , Suffolk; the Mildenhall Treasure , the Fishpool Hoard , Nottinghamshire, the Water Newton hoard, Cambridgeshire, and the Cuerdale Hoard , Lancashire, all preserved in the British Museum . Prudence Harper of the Metropolitan Museum of Art voiced some practical reservations about hoards at

1800-461: The road, the one with the lower status had to give way, and the mon was painted on the gissha . The Heiji Monogatari Emaki , an emakimono ( 絵巻物 , picture scroll) depicting the Heiji rebellion , shows mon painted on gissha . Gradually, the nobility began to use mon on their own costumes, and the samurai class that emerged in the late Heian period and came to power in

1845-723: The time of the Soviet exhibition of Scythian gold in New York City in 1975. Writing of the so-called "Maikop treasure" (acquired from three separate sources by three museums early in the twentieth century, the Berliner Museen , the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology , and the Metropolitan Museum, New York), Harper warned: By the time "hoards" or "treasures" reach museums from

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1890-450: The use of the chrysanthemum mon used by the imperial family and the hollyhock mon used by the Tokugawa clan ( Tokugawa shogunate ) was prohibited. Mon were also adapted by various organizations, such as merchant and artisan guilds , temples and shrines, theater troupes and even criminal gangs. In an illiterate society, they served as useful symbols for recognition. Japanese traditional formal attire generally displays

1935-495: The use of their mon to their retainers as a reward. Similar to the granting of the patron's surnames, this was considered a very high honor. Alternatively, the patron clan may have added elements of its mon to that of its retainer, or chosen an entirely different mon for them. Mon motifs can be broadly classified into five categories: animals, plants, nature, buildings and vehicles, and tools and patterns, each with its own meaning. The most common animal motifs are

1980-472: The ventures of this Ming dynasty era Chinese explorer, this was seen as these researchers as proof that Zheng He also visited the area which is known today as Kenya. In the year 2013 during a joint expedition to Manda Island the researchers Chapurukha Kusimba of the Field Museum of Natural History and Sloan Williams from the University of Illinois at Chicago found a Yongle Tongbao coin there, this coin

2025-530: Was also attributed as being likely brought there during Zheng He's expedition. Coin hoard A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts , sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache . This would usually be with the intention of later recovery by the hoarder; hoarders sometimes died or were unable to return for other reasons (forgetfulness or physical displacement from its location) before retrieving

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