In Japan, north of Tokyo, in Saitama Prefecture, an ancient ship containing thousands of medieval pieces has been discovered and it is the country's greatest archaeological treasure. The loot, made up of tens of thousands of pieces, was found in a ceramic jar which should date from around the 15th century. The exact number of coins is still uncertain, the exact quantity should be between 100,000 and 260,000, between the Japanese, Chinese coins and those from other neighboring countries.

The jar probably produced in the city of Tokoname, a city famous for its ceramics in Haichi Prefecture, measures 66 cm wide and 74 cm high. It was found two meters underground and on its lid was a wooden tablet less than a millimeter thick, with some inscriptions.

The characters shown "nihyaku rokuju" mean 260 kan, this is probably the number of coins inside. But why was such a treasure buried? Located two meters underground, the treasure was buried to protect the riches of the samurai, which was very common in those troubled times. The 15th century was a very delicate time for Japan, devastated by civil war and under a sort of dictatorial regime exercised not by the emperor but by the shoguns. Violence in the streets was very high, and battles between the feudal lords, the Daimyo, to combat the authority of the shoguns, were the order of the day.

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Découverte au Japon d'une immense jarre contenant 200 000 pièces de monnaie appartenant aux samouraïs.(https://www.curioctopus.fr/read/18114/decouverte-au-japon-d-une-immense-jarre-contenant-200-000-pieces-de-monnaie-appartenant-aux-samourais)