The koban (小判) 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 Japanese idiom neko ni koban (猫に小判 literally, "gold coins for cats") is an equivalent for casting pearls before swine.
The Maneki Neko is often depicted holding a koban, though the koban most Maneki Neko hold is indicated to be worth ten million ryō.
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