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.Cocolog 雑記@史華堂 「中山通宝」について. (in Japanese) Published: 8 February 2013 Retrieved: 9 June 2017.
The first Japanese cash coins were the Wadōkaichin (和同開珎) which were produced from 29 August 708..Brown, Delmer et al. (1979). Gukanshō, p. 271,Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki. p. 140. 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 led 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").Masuo Tomifusa, Honpou bitasen zufu, (Anasendou 1982). (in Japanese) 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.Aila de la Rive, MoneyMuseum Money in the Land of the Rising Sun I: The Copper Coins of Ancient Japan. Retrieved: 26 June 2017.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.
Kōchōsen
Inscription Kyūjitai Shinjitai Year of introduction(Julian calendar) Image Wadōkaichin 和同開珎 和同開珎 708 Mannen Tsūhō 萬年通寳 万年通宝 760 Taihei Genpō 大平元寶 大平元宝 760 None known Kaiki Shoho 開基勝寶 開基勝宝 760 神功開寳 神功開宝 765 隆平永寳 隆平永宝 796 富壽神寳 富寿神宝 818 承和昌寳 承和昌宝 835 長年大寳 長年大宝 848 饒益神寳 饒益神宝 859 貞觀永寳 貞観永宝 870 寛平大寳 寛平大宝 890 延喜通寳 延喜通宝 907 乹元大寳 乾元大宝 958
Toraisen, Shichūsen, and Bitasen
List of Toraisen, Shichūsen, and Bitasen cash coins:Masuo Tomifusa, Honpou bitasen zufu, (Anasendou 1982). (in Japanese).
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
List of Bitasen cash coins () that originated in China (these were recut from circulating Chinese coinage).
Inscription Kyūjitai Shinjitai Image 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:Japan Numismatic Dealers Association "The Catalog of Japanese Coins and Banknotes" (in Japanese).
Inscription Kyūjitai Shinjitai Year of introduction(Gregorian calendar) Nengō(Japanese calendar) Denomination(s) Image Keichō Tsūhō瀧澤武雄, 西脇康 「日本史小百科「貨幣」」 東京堂出版、1999年 (in Japanese) 慶長通寳 慶長通宝 1606 Keichō 11 1 mon Genna Tsūhō「日本の貨幣-収集の手引き-」 日本貨幣商協同組合、1998年 (in Japanese) 元和通寳 元和通宝 1616 Genna 2 1 mon Kan'ei TsūhōShizuoka Izumika comp., Anasen Nyuumon Kan'ei Tsuuhou: Shin Kan'ei no bu (Shoshinkan: Tokyo, 1997). 寛永通寳 寛永通宝 1626 (1 mon)1768 (4 mon) Kan'ei 5 (1 mon)Meiwa 5 (4 mon) 1 mon4 mon Hōei TsūhōTAKIZAWA Takeo, (1996) Nihon no Kahei no Rekishi (History of Japanese Currencies) Tokyo, Yoshikawa Kobunkan. (Takizawa p.242). 寳永通寳 宝永通宝 1708 Hōei 5 10 mon Tenpō TsūhōXIV 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 天保通寳 天保通宝 1835 Tenpō 6 100 mon Bunkyū ĒhōKosenkan List of East-Asian & Vietnamese mon coins. (in Japanese) Published: 30 April 1999 Last updated: 15 September 2008. Retrieved: 16 June 2017. 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:瀧澤武雄, 西脇康 「日本史小百科「貨幣」」 東京堂出版、1999年 (in Japanese).上隆三 「江戸の貨幣物語」 東洋経済新報社、1996年 (in Japanese).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.
Inscription(Kyūjitai) Inscription(Shinjitai) Font Japanese(Romaji) Mandarin(Hànyǔ Pīnyīn) Vietnamese(chữ Quốc ngữ) Image 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.Nagasaki bôekisen was unearthed in Vietnam in 1997. Sakuragi Shinichi, "Shutsudo senka kara mita chûsei kahei ryûtsû", 73. (in Japanese)
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.「図録 日本の貨幣・全11巻」 東洋経済新報社、1972 – 1976年 (in Japanese).「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).Japan Currency Museum (日本貨幣博物館) permanent exhibit
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
References
Sources Early Japanese Coins. David Hartill. , Published: October 6, 2011.