Kanban or signboard for a gold and silver foil shop in a rectangular form, of zelkova wood carved in relief with two squares that form a star of overlaying, lacquered foil, one gold and one silver and with characters detailed in black lacquer, the hanging hardware of hand-forged iron. The large characters read (from right to left): Kin-paku, Gin-paku or Gold Foil, Silver Foil. The smaller ones identify the name of the shop. Meiji era, 19th century.

Gold and silver foil sellers were rare during the Edo and Meiji eras, generally only to be found in such major cities as Tokyo (Edo), Kyoto, Osaka, Kanazawa and the like. In thirty years we have only ever seen one other gold and silver foil kanban.

This signboard illustrates the great Japanese graphic tradition. The central star formed from overlapping foils was a brilliant idea that immediately conveys in shorthand all the information that the viewer would need to know, in an extremely memorable motif.