Vintage Japanese Takarabune Treasure Ship with 5-Yen Lucky Coins, 1980s

Spectacular Japanese treasure ship (takarabune), entirely constructed from overlapping Japanese 5-yen coins that form scale-like rows along the hull and the large sail.

Dimensions: height 32.5 cm, width 43 cm, depth 20 cm.

A fine network of shimmering cords is woven over the coins in a rhythmic pattern. The ship rests on an organically shaped cedarwood base with a beautifully visible grain.

On the curved sail sits the character 宝 (takara – “treasure”), a symbol of wealth and good fortune. The coins used are the well-known Japanese 5-yen “lucky coins”: in Japanese, “five yen” (go-en) sounds the same as the word for a good, auspicious connection or destiny. For that reason, this type of treasure ship is considered a powerful good-luck charm, believed to attract prosperity, successful relationships and business fortune.

At the bow is a gold-coloured plastic fish, a reference to the tai fish, which in Japan stands for abundance and celebration. Below it hangs a koban-shaped, gold-coloured plaque with auspicious characters, as if the ship were literally carrying a cargo of gold pieces.

More than just a curiosity, this is a carefully crafted decorative symbol of luck and wealth.

A true eye-catcher on a sideboard, in an office or on a low cabinet in a Japanese-inspired interior, giving the feeling that a wave of good fortune could sail in at any moment.