noun
shu (unit of weight); 1/24 ryō
Historical unit of weight, equal to 1/24 of a ryō. Used in pre-modern Japanese measurement systems.
See also: 両
江戸時代の金貨の重さは、しばしば朱で表された。
The weight of gold coins in the Edo period was often expressed in shu.
noun
shu (currency unit); 1/16 ryō
Edo-period currency unit, worth 1/16 of a ryō. Used for gold and silver coinage.
See also: 両
一朱金は、江戸時代の小額金貨として流通した。
The one-shu gold coin circulated as a small-denomination gold currency in the Edo period.
両 is the larger unit; 1 ryō = 24 shu (weight) or 16 shu (currency).
The kanji 朱 originally referred to cinnabar or vermilion, but was adopted as a unit of weight and currency in historical Japanese contexts. The exact derivation is uncertain.