List of Japanese cash coins by inscription

Cash coins were introduced to Japan in the century inspired by the Chinese Kaigen Tsūhō (開元通寳) cash coins from the Tang dynasty. Chinese cash coins also circulated in other countries and inspired similar currencies such as the Korean mun, Ryukyuan mon, Vietnamese văn, while they also circulated as far south as Indonesia. Because these currencies were so similar cash coins around the Far East were interchangeable and Japanese cash coins circulated in other countries while foreign cash coins also circulated in Japan.[1][2]

Known cash coin types of Japan produced from 708 to 958, chronologically arranged.

The first Japanese cash coins were the Wadōkaichin (和同開珎) which were produced from 29 August 708.[3][4][5] In 760 Japanese currency was reformed and gold and silver cash coins were introduced, however by the end of the 10th century the value of Japanese coinage had severely fallen combined with a weak central government lead the Japanese to return to barter. From the 12th century onwards the Japanese started importing Chinese currency again even while the Southern Song dynasty banned the export of its coinage, while the import of Chinese cash coins surged again during the Ming dynasty era when large amounts of Ming Chinese cash coins were imported.

The Japanese started locally imitating Chinese cash coins, which were known as Shichūsen (私鋳銭). But the quality of these cash coins varied severely depending on the mint. As many cash coins circulated in the market for a long time their quality diminished over time becoming known as Bitasen (鐚銭, "bad metal money").[6][7] After the Tokugawa shogunate banned Bitasen in 1608 they started producing their own coinage and after 1859 provincial authorities were allowed to mint their own coinages. Japanese cash coins were officially demonetised in 1891 after officially circulating as a division of the Japanese yen with an exchange rate of 10.000 mon for 1 yen.[8][9][10]

Tomimotosen

The first Japanese embassy to China is recorded to have been sent in 630, following with Japan, who adopted numerous Chinese cultural practices.[11] The importance of metallic currency appeared to Japanese nobles, probably leading to some coin minting at the end of the 7th century,[12] such as the Tomimotosen coinage (富元銭), discovered in 1998 through archaeological research in the area of Nara.[11] An entry of the Nihon Shoki dated April 15, 683 mentions: "From now on, copper coins should be used, but silver coins should not be used", which is thought to order the adoption of the Tomimotosen copper coins.[11] The first official cash coinage was struck in 708.

Inscription	Kanji	Image
Tomimoto	富本

Kōchōsen

Early Kōchōsen

Japan's first formal currency system was the Kōchōsen (Japanese: 皇朝銭, "Imperial currency"). It was exemplified by the adoption of Japan's first official coin type, the Wadōkaichin.[12][13] It was first minted in 708 CE on order of Empress Genmei, Japan's 43rd Imperial ruler.[12] "Wadōkaichin" is the reading of the four characters printed on the coin, and is thought to be composed of the era name Wadō (和銅, "Japanese copper"), which could alternatively mean "happiness", and "Kaichin", thought to be related to "Currency".

Inscription	Kyūjitai	Nominal value	Metal	Image
Wadōkaichin	和同開珎		Copper, Silver
Mannentsūhō	万年通寶	10 Wadōkaichin cash coins	Copper
Taiheigenbō	大平元寶	10 copper coins	Silver
Kaikishōhō	開基勝寶	10 silver coins	Gold

Last Kōchōsen

The Kōchōsen Japanese system of coinage became strongly debased, with its metallic content and value decreasing. By the middle of the 9th century, the value of a coin in rice had fallen to 1/150th of its value of the early 8th century.[11] By the end of the 10th century, compounded with weaknesses in the political system, this led to the abandonment of the national currency, with the return to rice as a currency medium. The last official Japanese coin emission occurred in 958, with very low quality coins called Kangen Daihō (乾元大寶), which soon fell into disuse.[11]

The last Kōchōsen coins produced after the Wadōkaichin was debased include:[14]

Inscription	Kyūjitai	Shinjitai	Year of introduction (Gregorian calendar)	Image
Jingō Kaihō	神功開寳	神功開宝	765
Ryūhei Eihō	隆平永寳	隆平永宝	796
Fuju Shinpō	富寿神寳	富寿神宝	818
Jōwa Shōhō	貞和昌寳	貞和昌宝	835
Chōnen Taihō	長年大寳	長年大宝	848
Nyōyaku Shinpō	饒益神寳	饒益神宝	859
Jōgan Eihō	貞観永寳	貞観永宝	870
Kanpyō Taihō	寛平大寳	寛平大宝	890
Engi Tsūhō	延喜通寳	延喜通宝	907
Kangen Daihō	乹元大寳	乹元大宝	958

Toraisen, Shichūsen, and Bitasen

List of Toraisen, Shichūsen, and Bitasen cash coins:[15]

Inscription	Kyūjitai	Shinjitai	Image
Kōbu Tsūhō	洪武通寶	洪武通宝
Eiraku Tsūhō	永樂通寳	永楽通宝
Katei Tsūhō	嘉靖通寶	嘉靖通宝
Shōfu Tsūhō	祥符通寶	祥符通宝
Heian Tsūhō	平安通寶	平安通宝
Genyū Tsūhō	元祐通寶	元祐通宝
Junpei Genpō	順平元寳	順平元宝
Genpō Tsūhō	元豊通寶	元豊通宝
Genfu Tsūhō	元符通寶	元符通宝
Shidō Genpō	至道元寳	至道元宝

Edo period

List of cash coins issued by the Tokugawa shogunate

During the history of the Japanese mon under the Tokugawa shogunate, many different cash coins with different obverse inscriptions were cast, the main cash coins cast by the central government were:[16]

Inscription	Kyūjitai	Shinjitai	Year of introduction (Gregorian calendar)	Nengō (Japanese calendar)	Denomination(s)	Image
Keichō Tsūhō[17]	慶長通寳	慶長通宝	1606	Keichō 11	1 mon
Genna Tsūhō[18]	元和通寳	元和通宝	1616	Genna 2	1 mon
Kan’ei Tsūhō[19][20]	寛永通寳	寛永通宝	1626 (1 mon)[lower-alpha 1] 1768 (4 mon)	Kan'ei 5 (1 mon) Meiwa 5 (4 mon)	1 mon 4 mon
Hōei Tsūhō[21]	寳永通寳	宝永通宝	1708	Hōei 5	10 mon
Tenpō Tsūhō[22][23]	天保通寳	天保通宝	1835	Tenpō 6	100 mon
Bunkyū Ēhō[24][25]	文久永寳	文久永宝	1863	Bunkyū 3	4 mon

List of Nagasaki trade coins

The following coins were minted in the city of Nagasaki for export to other countries:[26][27][28]

Inscription (Kyūjitai)	Inscription (Shinjitai)	Font	Japanese (Romaji)	Mandarin (Hànyǔ Pīnyīn)	Vietnamese (chữ Quốc ngữ)	Image[lower-alpha 2]
元豊通寳	元豊通宝	Clerical script, Semi-cursive script, Seal script	Genpō Tsūhō	Yuán Fēng Tōng Bǎo	Nguyên Phong Thông Bảo
天聖元寳	天聖元宝	Regular script	Tensei Genpō	Tiān Shèng Yuán Bǎo	Thiên Thánh Nguyên Bảo
祥符元寳	祥符元宝	Regular script	Shofu Genpō	Xiáng Fú Yuán Bǎo	Tường Phù Nguyên Bảo
嘉祐通寳	嘉祐通宝	Regular script	Kayū Tsūhō	Jiā Yòu Tōng Bǎo	Gia Hựu Thông Bảo
熈寧元寳	煕寧元宝	Regular script, Seal script	Kinei Genpō	Xī Níng Yuán Bǎo	Hi Ninh Nguyên Bảo
紹聖元寳	紹聖元宝	Seal script	Shōsei Genpō	Shào Shèng Yuán Bǎo	Thiệu Thánh Nguyên Bảo
治平元寳	治平元宝	Seal script	Jihei Genpō	Zhì Píng Yuán Bǎo	Trị Bình Nguyên Bảo

Nagasaki trade coins notably bear the inscription of many Song dynasty coins because those coins were already widespread in circulation on the Southeast Asian market making the Nagasaki trade coins more familiar for its target demographic.[29]

List of local cash coins cast during the Bakumatsu

Many Japanese domains produced their own currency which happened chaotically, so that the nation’s money supply expanded by 2.5 times between 1859 and 1869, leading to crumbling money values and soaring prices.[30][31][32][33][34]

These coins were often produced with the name of the domain or province on them, the mon coins produced by domains are:

Inscription	Kyūjitai	Shinjitai	Domain	Image
Sendai Tsūhō	仙臺通寳	仙台通宝	Sendai
Hosokura tō hyaku	細倉當百	細倉当百	Sendai
Isawa Tsūhō	膽澤通寳	胆沢通宝	Sendai
Tetsuzan Tsūhō	鐵山通寳	鉄山通宝	Morioka
Hakodate Tsūhō	箱館通寳	箱館通宝	Matsumae
Dōzan Tsūhō	銅山通寳	銅山通宝	Kubota
Ashū Tsūhō	阿州通寳	阿州通宝	Tokushima
Tosa Tsūhō	土佐通寳	土佐通宝	Tosa
Chikuzen Tsūhō (100 mon)	筑前通寳 - 當百	筑前通宝 - 当百	Fukuoka
Ryūkyū Tsūhō (100 mon)	琉球通寳 - 當百	琉球通宝 - 当百	Satsuma
Ryūkyū Tsūhō (½ Shu)	琉球通寳 - 半朱	琉球通宝 - 半朱	Satsuma

See also

• List of Chinese cash coins by inscription

Notes

1. The Kan'ei Tsūhō was first minted in 1626 (Kan'ei 5) in the Mito domain on a small scale, but the Tokugawa government started mass producing the coin in 1636 (Kan'ei 15).
2. Click to enlarge

References

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3. Titsingh, Isaac (1834), Annales des empereurs du Japon (in French), pp. 63–5.
4. Brown, Delmer et al. (1979). Gukanshō, p. 271,
5. Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki. p. 140.
6. "Bitasen　鐚銭". Luke Roberts at the Department of History - University of California at Santa Barbara. 24 October 2003. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
7. Masuo Tomifusa, Honpou bitasen zufu, (Anasendou 1982). (in Japanese)
8. Aila de la Rive, © MoneyMuseum Money in the Land of the Rising Sun I: The Copper Coins of Ancient Japan. Retrieved: 26 June 2017.
9. Armstrong Economics Monetary History of Japan. Retrieved: 30 June 2017.
10. Việt Touch VIET NAM COINS & PAPER NOTES. AUTHOR: Thuan D. Luc COLLECTION: Bao Tung Nguyen VIET NAM NUMISMATICS © Chi D. Nguyen Retrieved: 24 June 2017.
11. Japan Currency Museum (日本貨幣博物館) permanent exhibit
12. The Cambridge history of Japan: Heian Japan John Whitney Hall, Donald H. (Donald Howard) Shively, William H. McCullough p.434
13. Japan Mint - History of Japanese coins. Retrieved: 26 June 2017.
14. Shin'ichi Sakuraki, Dr. Helen Wang, and Peter Kornicki, with Nobuhisa Furuta, Timon Screech, and Joe Cribb (2010). "Catalogue of the Japanese Coin Collection (pre-Meiji) at the British Museum with special reference to Kutsuki Masatsuna" (PDF). ISBN 978 086159 174 9. ISSN 1747-3640. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
15. Masuo Tomifusa, Honpou bitasen zufu, (Anasendou 1982). (in Japanese).
16. Japan Numismatic Dealers Association "The Catalog of Japanese Coins and Banknotes" Archived 2017-10-17 at the Wayback Machine ISBN 4930810175 (in Japanese).
17. 瀧澤武雄，西脇康 『日本史小百科「貨幣」』 東京堂出版、1999年 (in Japanese)
18. 『日本の貨幣-収集の手引き-』　日本貨幣商協同組合、1998年 (in Japanese)
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20. Shizuoka Izumika comp., Anasen Nyuumon Kan'ei Tsuuhou: Shin Kan'ei no bu (Shoshinkan: Tokyo, 1997).
21. TAKIZAWA Takeo, (1996) Nihon no Kahei no Rekishi (History of Japanese Currencies) Tokyo, Yoshikawa Kobunkan. (Takizawa p.242).
22. "Guide for attribution of Tenpo Tsuho (1835 – 1871) 天保通寶". Heinz Gratzer & Vladimir Balyaev (Chinese Coinage Web Site). 11 October 2003. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
23. XIV International Economic History Congress, Helsinki 2006 Session 106 Too Commercialised To Synchronize Currencies: Monetary Peasant Economy in Late Imperial China in Comparison with Contemporary Japan by Akinobu Kuroda (University of Tokyo) Retrieved: 11 June 2017
24. Kosenkan List of East-Asian & Vietnamese mon coins. (in Japanese) Published: 30 April 1999 Last updated: 15 September 2008. Retrieved: 16 June 2017.
25. "4 mon Kan'ei and Bunkyuu coins". Luke Roberts at the Department of History - University of California at Santa Barbara. 24 October 2003. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
26. 瀧澤武雄，西脇康 『日本史小百科「貨幣」』 東京堂出版、1999年 (in Japanese).
27. 上隆三 『江戸の貨幣物語』 東洋経済新報社、1996年 (in Japanese).
28. Charms.ru Coincidences of Vietnam and China cash coins legends. Francis Ng, People’s Republic of China, Thuan D. Luc, United States, and Vladimir A. Belyaev, Russia March–June, 1999 Retrieved: 17 June 2017.
29. Nagasaki bôekisen was unearthed in Vietnam in 1997. Sakuragi Shinichi, “Shutsudo senka kara mita chûsei kahei ryûtsû”, 73. (in Japanese)
30. 『図録 日本の貨幣・全11巻』 東洋経済新報社、1972 - 1976年 (in Japanese).
31. 『貨幣手帳・日本コインの歴史と収集ガイド』 ボナンザ、1982年 (in Japanese).
32. 瀧澤武雄，西脇康 『日本史小百科「貨幣」』 東京堂出版、1999年 (in Japanese).
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34. Japan Currency Museum (日本貨幣博物館) permanent exhibit

Sources

• Early Japanese Coins. David Hartill. ISBN 978-0-7552-1365-8, Published: October 6, 2011.