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Good Luck Coin Sennabarri


Otter42
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Fortunes Of War

Rod is absolutely correct.  Buun Chokyu can also be read as "May Your Military Fortunes Be Long Lasting" and there are similarly others.  Coins were sometimes sewn on the senninbari and less frequently on good luck flags.  5-sen and 10-sen denomination coins had holes in them that allowed them to be easily stitched to the belt.  There are a number of explanations for attaching coins: one is that coins are round and may symbolize the Buddhist's belief in a continuous or circular existence to life- birth, death, rebirth, life, death, etc. In the Japanese culture, the number 4 or shi has the same pronunciation as their word for "death" or "going to the afterlife". The 5-sen (also known as the go-sen) coin indicates a "going over 4" or moving past death.  That is an important concept for the solider who is being asked to do his duty in the face of battle/death.  Likewise, the number 9 or kyuu has the same pronunciation as the Japanese word for "agony" or "terror". The number further symbolizes a "line of suffering or agony". The 10-sen or juu-sen coin is sometimes sewn to the belt because it means to go beyond 9.  In general, the knots in the belt symbolized a compounding of good luck wishes.  Good luck amulets aside, all Japanese military persons were expected to due their duties, even onto death.  

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