SAMURAI Warriors 2 Oz Ultra High relief Silver Coin 5$ Niue 2019

Samurai
Samurai are legendary warriors and perhaps the most well-known class of people in ancient Japan. They were noble fighters that fought evil (and each other) with their swords and frightening armor, following a strict moral code that governed their entire life. While “samurai” is a strictly masculine term, the Japanese bushi class (the social class samurai came from) did feature women who received similar training in martial arts and strategy. These women were called “Onna-Bugeisha” and they were known to participate in combat along with their male counterparts. Their weapon of choice was usually the naginata, a spear with a curved, sword-like blade that was versatile, yet relatively light. Since historical texts offer relatively few accounts of these female warriors (the traditional role of a Japanese noblewoman was more of a homemaker), we used to assume they were just a tiny minority. However, recent research indicates that Japanese women participated in battles quite a lot more often than history books admit. When remains from the site of the Battle of Senbon Matsubaru in 1580 were DNA-tested, 35 out of 105 bodies were female. Research on other sites has yielded similar results.

The reverse of the coin depicts an incredible Samurai with his Katana swords over a beautiful background of a typical Japanese village. On the top of the reverse, the inscriptions: “侍” – Samurai in Japanese. The obverse of the coin features the effigy og Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the inscriptions: “ELIZABETH II” – the name of the Queen, “NIUE” – the issuing country, “2019” – the year of issue, “5 DOLLARS” – the face value.