Koban - 1839 and 1903

[Benjamin Barrett]

I see the OED has "police box" back to 1855, saying they are now chiefly in Japan.

Google Books has "police-box" back to c. 1825 (http://ow.ly/hmHsK) in "Trials for high treason, in Scotland: under a Special Commission, held at Stirling, Glasgow, Dumbarton, Paisley, and Ayr, in the year 1820...":

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It was pasted on the police-box; and he first of all attempted to snatch it down with his hand, and did not succeed....
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Benjamin Barrett
Seattle, WA

On Feb 2, 2013, at 11:31 AM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com> wrote:

> They're the same in English, but completely different in Japanese. The =
> "police box" meaning has a long "o."
>
> AFAIK, we still have koban in the US, though maybe the concept has been =
> abandoned. At one time, there was a movement to adopt the system. I =
> recall seeing one in San Fran, but it looked shuttered. See =
> https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/Abstract.aspx?id=3D122842.
>
> See also http://ow.ly/hmw3h for one in Baltimore. Here's a page =
> mentioning Santa Ana, Detroit, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea: =
> http://ow.ly/hmwcX. My understanding is that Brazil is moving forward =
> with mass implementation of their modified version, and that other Latin =
> American countries are looking to adopt it as well.
>
> Benjamin Barrett
> Seattle, WA
>
> On Feb 2, 2013, at 6:27 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at ATT.NET> wrote:
>
>> So 'koban" =3D "some kind of coin" or "police-station / office of =
> police".
>> =20
>> I am reminded of "piss-house", which =3D "privy" or
>> "police station".  (And "insulting name".)
>> =20
>> Joel
>> =20
>> At 2/1/2013 10:28 PM, Benjamin Barrett wrote:
>> =20
>>> 1. The earliest citation I find for koban
>>> (=EF=BC=9CJapanese =E5=B0=8F=E5=88=A4, the coin) is 1839 =
> (http://ow.ly/hlSKj)
>>> The Asiatic journal and monthly register for
>>> British and foreign India, China and Australasia, Volume 29:
>>> =20
>>> The peasant's hospitality is rewarded by the
>>> present of a Japanese gold coin, called a _koban_, and worth =C2=A31.6s=
> . 6d.
>>> =20
>>> This meaning is in Wiktionary
>>> (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/koban), but not the OED or AHD.
>>> =20
>>> 2. For k=C5=8Dban (< Japanese =E4=BA=A4=E7=95=AA, police box),
>>> Basil Hall Chamberlain and W.B. Mason mention it
>>> as a gloss for "police-station" in 1901 at http://ow.ly/hlT1b.
>>> =20
>>> In 1903, the word appears italicized and glossed
>>> as "office" with reference to the police (http://ow.ly/hlT8y):
>>> =20
>>> Here you always find two policemen--one on duty,
>>> walking up and down the street, the other in the _koban_ (office) =
> resting.
>>> =20
>>> This meaning is in Wikipedia
>>> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dban), but not the OED, AHD or =
> Wiktionary.

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