Japanese Cash Coin, 1 Mon, Genpou Tsuho, 1659 - 1685 , Nagasaki

Japanese Cash Coin

Genpou Tsuho

1 Mon

Coins were not minted with dates, but this form was used between 1659 to 1685

The first coins minted in Japan were the Wadou Kaichin(Wadokaichin later anglicised to Cash) made by the imperial government in 708 on the orders of Empress Gemmei. Following that, eleven varieties of coins were minted until the year 958, at which point the government stopped minting cash coins. Even during the age of Japanese imperial minting, Chinese coins circulated as currency and were probably much more common than the imperial ones which are quite scarce. Chinese coins were imported in great quantities and were the standard currency until the early-to-mid 1600's. In the 17th century the Tokugawa government began minting its own coins again. The first three eras, Keichou (1596-1614), Genna (1615-1623), and Kan'ei (1624-1643) each had coins with its own legends on the obverse. Curiously the government thereafter decided to stick with the Kan'ei legend for all low value cash coins it minted until the 1860's. In the 1860's the government began issuing a small value cash coin with a new legend, the Bunkyuu tsuuhou. About this time many domainal lords also began minting their own cash coins.

From the year 1659 until around 1685 large amounts of copper coins were minted in Nagasaki. These coins were based on Japanese designed coins but used Chinese characters of Song era coins. By far the most common is the formal script (kaishou) Genpou Tsuho (Chinese : Yuan Feng Tong Bao). It is easily distinguished from the Chinese Song coin because the Song coin exists in seal script and semi cursive script. These coins have commonly become known as the Nagasaki export coins.