A negotiable certificate showing ownership in a joint-stock corporation.
By issuing stocks (also known as shares), companies raise capital for their business operations; they also pay stockholders dividends from profits, and endow them with certain rights and obligations.
Incidentally, it is said that the use of the Japanese word kabu, which means "tree stump," to refer to company shares originated in the Edo Period custom of describing privileges and titles as "kabu." The term has continued in use in the world of sumo, where aging wrestlers may be awarded various privileges known as "toshiyori kabu" upon their retirement from the sport.
In the capsule is a sample of a certificate for 1,000 shares of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.