Front: “Live By Choice, Not By Chance”
Back: “Fall Seven Times, Stand Up Eight” (七転び八起き)

At a glance

• Theme: the martial artist's path: discipline by choice
• Good for: belt tests, dojo milestones, a comeback after injury, a new training cycle
• Gift for: martial arts students and teachers, a black belt candidate, an athlete, anyone who lives by a personal code
• Finishes: Antique Bronze (brass alloy), Antique Silver (brass alloy), Antique Copper (solid copper)
• Size: 39 mm, about 1 oz, die struck in the USA

The meaning

Live by choice, not by chance: the samurai ideal was a life shaped by decision and practice, not by luck. You choose how you train, how you behave and what you stand for, and you keep choosing it every day.

The back is the Japanese proverb nana korobi ya oki, written on the coin in kanji: fall seven times, stand up eight. It doesn't promise you won't fall. It promises you will get up one more time than you go down.

The design

The front shows a face split down the middle by a sword blade: one half a calm man, the other a samurai in full armor behind a fierce war mask, with the motto in Japanese running down the blade. The back shows a twisting bonsai tree before a rising sun, the proverb in kanji beside it and in English around the rim.

On good days and hard days

• On good days, it is a reminder to keep training and keep choosing your path on purpose, not by chance.
• On hard days, when you fall, lose or get hurt, it gives you the oldest rule of resilience: fall seven times, stand up eight.

Carry it

Keep it in your gear bag or beside your belt at the dojo. One customer wrote that the coin has a weight to it like the weight of its message, and that the detail is better than the pictures show.

Give it

It is a strong gift for a belt promotion, a black belt test, a dojo anniversary or an instructor's thank you. It also suits an athlete coming back from an injury and anyone who lives by a personal code.

Specs

• Diameter: 1.54 in (39 mm), about the size of a silver dollar
• Thickness: 2.7 mm
• Weight: about 1 oz (28 g)
• Material: brass alloy (Antique Bronze, Antique Silver) or solid copper (Antique Copper)
• Made: die struck, minted in the USA
• Each coin is antiqued with a special patina so it looks like it has already been in circulation. The patina never settles the same way twice, so no two coins look exactly alike. Small variations in color and shading are normal, and they are what make your coin one of a kind.

Questions

What does nana korobi ya oki mean?
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” It is a Japanese proverb about resilience.

Is it a good black belt gift?
Yes. It is made with martial artists in mind, and its message fits every belt test: keep getting up.

How is it different from the Never Give Up and Bushido coins?
Never Give Up shares the proverb with defiant humor. Bushido carries the seven virtues of the code. Samurai Spirit is about discipline by choice and getting back up.

Other coins you might like

• Bushido Coin: the seven virtues
• Never Give Up Coin: defiant grit with a grin
• Kaizen Coin: grow a little every day
• Wabi Sabi Coin: peace with imperfection

Care: keep it dry and wipe it with a soft cloth. No polishing needed; the aged finish is part of the look.

Original design by EDC Reminder Coins, protected by copyright. We don't take custom orders.