Currency

During the main campaign period of Legends of the Samurai (11^th through 17^th centuries), the central government of Japan does not mint coins or make its own currency. Merchants, who need coinage to efficiently carry out trade, are thus forced to import coins from China and mint their own. The coins imported from China are known as Toraisen; those minted locally by the merchant clans are known as Shichusen.

Although both types of coinage are composed of copper, the Toraisen from China are acknowledged to be purer and more valuable, and are roughly equal in value to the PHB’s gold piece (gp).

The Shichusen is roughly equal in value to the PHB’s silver piece (sp).

There is also the Bitasen, which are Shichusen and Toraisen coins that have been used and reused so much that they have split in half. Since coinage for merchant transactions are always at a premium, these continue to be used despite their battered condition and have a value equivalent to the PHB’s copper piece (cp).

At the top of the economic pyramid rests the Koku. One Koku represents the maount of rice needed to feed a person for one year. Daimyo measure their wealth in Koku, and samurai are typically paid in Koku. Koku are either bartered for other objects or traded for coinage and have a value equivalent to eh PHB’s platinum piece. If an item has a value listed in Koku, this typically means it is only available for purchase by the warrior elite.