WW2 Japanese Metal One Million Gold Pieces Talisman with Brocade Pouch

We were fortunate to receive a small well-rounded collection of captured Japanese talismans. In addition to Japanese soldiers wearing senninbari belts, senninbari vests and thousand stitch caps, Japanese soldiers and sailors also carried religious symbols like this one. Shintoism and Buddhism were the most common religions in Japan during World War II. In fact, the government pushed for nationalistic Shintoism. A soldier or sailor would visit a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine, and purchase one of these talismans to protect them from harm during battle. If they were unable to acquire one before they departed, friends and family or their community, could send these talismans to them. This metal talisman says 百 万 両 which translates to a wish for the bearer to receive 1,000,000 gold pieces.