The was a Japanese coin worth one-hundredth of a

Japanese yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the ...

, as 100 ''sen'' equalled 1 yen. One sen coins were first struck for circulation during the 6th year of Meiji's reign (1873) using a dragon design. The denomination had been adopted in 1871 but coinage at the time could not be carried out. Aside from an alloy change and a new rice stalk wreath design, one sen coins remained the same weight and size for the remainder of the era. The situation changed when

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

broke out under

Emperor Taishō was the 123rd Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, and the second ruler of the Empire of Japan from 30 July 1912 until his death in 1926. The Emperor's personal name was . According to Japanese custom, while reigni ...

as rising metal costs led to a size and weight reduction. These smaller coins were first produced in 1916 with a

paulownia ''Paulownia'' ( ) is a genus of seven to 17 species of hardwood tree (depending on taxonomic authority) in the family Paulowniaceae, the order Lamiales. They are present in much of China, south to northern Laos and Vietnam and are long cultivat ...

design which was seen as liberal at the time.

Emperor Shōwa Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

took the throne in 1926, and Japan was pushed into a militaristic regime by the early 1930s causing metals to be set aside for wartime conditions. These effects would later impact one sen coins through numerous alloy, size, and design changes. Bronze was the first alloy to be used for coinage which was replaced by brass, then aluminium in the span of a single year (1938). One sen coins were made lighter and were reduced in size as

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

raged on causing a demand for material to make military supplies. The last coins were produced from 1944 to 1945 using a tin and zinc based alloy as the situation further deteriorated. Shortly before the war ended porcelain coins were struck but not issued, these were later destroyed. One sen coins were discontinued at the end of the war, and were demonetized at the end of 1953 along with other subsidiary coinage. Collectors now trade these coins on the market where their value depends on survivability rate and condition.

History

Meiji and Taishō (1873–1924)

One sen coins along with twelve other denominations were adopted by the Meiji government in an act signed on June 27, 1871. This new coinage gave Japan a western style decimal system based on units of yen, which were broken down into subsidiary currency of sen, and rin. The first coins that were minted are trial strikes or

pattern coins A pattern coin is a coin which has not been approved for release, but produced to evaluate a proposed coin design. They are often off-metal strike (using metals of lower value to test out the dies), to proof standard or piedforts. Many coin coll ...

, which are dated 1869 (year 2) and 1870 (year 3). No coins were struck for circulation right away as the technology to produce the coins was poor at the time. Silver and gold coins were produced and distributed to the market before copper coinage could be carried out. One sen coins were eventually introduced on August 29, 1873 via government notification. Each coin was authorized to be struck in an alloy of copper, weighs 110 grains (7.13g), and has a 1.10 inch diameter (27.9mm). The obverse features a dragon with the date of reign, while on the reverse a wreath design is used with a Chrysanthemum seal located above surrounded by the words "100 for one yen" in Kanji. The value "1 sen" is written in English on the obverse, and in Kanji on the reverse. These coins were legal tender only up to the amount of 1 yen which was fixed by government regulations. Production continued for a few years before it was stopped as no coins are dated from year 11 or 12 (1878 and 1879). It is theorized that the aftermath of the

Satsuma Rebellion The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. Its name comes from the Satsuma Domain, which had been influential in the Restoration and b ...

could have left an impact. When production resumed in 1880 (year 13), the scales on the obverse dragon design were changed from a square to a "V" shaped pattern. One sen coins using the first dragon design were made again until 1888 (year 21), when they were stopped due to mass production and a slight oversupply. As with several other denominations it's possible that non circulating one sen dragon coins were made again in 1892 (year 25) for display at the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

. The Japanese government officially switched to the

gold standard A gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the early 1920s, and from th ...

on October 1, 1897 and new coinage laws were adopted. Changes for the one sen coin included a reduction of copper content by 3%, while the weight and size of the coins were left the same as before. Both sides of the coin received a brand new design as some of the older elements were no longer viewed positively. The dragon on the obverse side in particular was removed due to the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the p ...

which lasted from 1894 to 1895. A rice stalk wreath was chosen to replace the dragon, while the reverse side of the coin received a sunburst design. One sen coins continued to be struck for circulation in the Meiji era until 1902 (year 35). While coins dated 1906 and 1909 (year 39 and 42) were struck, none were apparently released for circulation. Production later resumed under

in 1913 and

broke out in the following year. This event brought Japan a booming economy which required an increase of small denomination coins. At the same time rising metal costs to produce the coins became an issue, and their large size had made them difficult to distribute. Pattern coins were made in 1915 and again in 1916 to test out a smaller design which debuted in the latter year. This new design features the paulownia coat of arms, is 23.03 mm in diameter, and weighs 3.75g. The paulownia design was controversial at the time and seen as a liberal democratic trend which was criticized by those in the right wing. One sen coins with this design continued to be produced until 1924 (year 13 of Taishō) without any additional changes.

Shōwa (1927–1953)

Production of the one sen coin continued during

's 2nd year of reign in 1927, using the paulownia design. Meanwhile events around the world including the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

were leading up to another world war. Japan was pushed into a militaristic regime by 1933, and started stockpiling nickel as war materials. The

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific T ...

broke out in 1937 and a

National Mobilization Law was legislated in the Diet of Japan by Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe on 24 March 1938 to put the national economy of the Empire of Japan on war-time footing after the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War. The National Mobilization Law had fifty c ...

was declared in the following year. This action suspended the coinage act of 1897 and allowed the Japanese government to issue temporary subsidiary coins without obtaining approval from the Imperial Diet. New brass coins featuring a crow design on the obverse replaced the old copper paulownia coins on June 1, 1938. Brass was chosen as the previous composition contained tin which was a military-important metal not produced in Japan. The new crow design with waves and eight ridge mirrors on the back was made by combining submissions from a public offering. On November 29, 1938 the act was revised and one sen coins were struck in aluminum as copper was needed for munitions. The diameter of the one sen coin was reduced from 23 down to 17.6mm, while the weight dropped from 3.75 to 0.90 grams. Although the coins were now smaller and lighter, the crow and waves design did not change. Using aluminum allowed coins to be produced in large numbers because the alloy is naturally soft, did not require annealing, and extended the life of the

dies Dies may refer to: * Dies (deity), the Roman counterpart of the Greek goddess Hemera, the personification of day, daughter of Nox (Night) and Erebus (Darkness). * Albert Christoph Dies (1755–1822), German painter, composer, and biographer * Jos ...

. The design of the one sen coin changed again in 1941, featuring

Mount Fuji , or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest ...

on the reverse representing Hakkō ichiu. The obverse side shows the character "ichi" or "one" representing the value of the coin. This feature was allegedly handwritten by Isao Kawada, who was the

minister of finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

at the time. The diameter of the coin was reduced from 17.6 to 16mm while the weight dropped from 0.90 to 0.65 grams. In April 1943 the Japanese government announced plans to use tin in coinage as aluminum was now needed for more aircraft. One sen coins had their aluminum content dropped this year from 0.65 to 0.55g. As

drew to a close the amount of available aluminum became depleted. Tin and zinc eventually replaced aluminum for one sen coins when they were issued in March 1944. The final design used for the coins features a chrysanthemum crest with value on the obverse, and inscriptions on the reverse. Tin was not an ideal choice for money as the metal is heat-sensitive and soft, but the Japanese government had no alternatives. Supplies came from occupied Southeast Asia where the metal was abundantly produced. One sen coins eventually became impossible to produce due to deteriorating conditions, and were discontinued when the war ended in 1945. Unissued one sen coins made of porcelain were produced in the final months of the war and were destroyed afterwards. One sen coins were eventually demonetized at the end of 1953 when the Japanese government passed a law abolishing subsidiary coinage in favor of the yen. Currencies of less than one yen were rarely used by this time due to excessive post-war inflation.

Composition

Circulation figures

Meiji

The following are circulation figures for one sen coins that were minted between the 6th, and 42nd year of Meiji's reign. The dates all begin with the Japanese symbol 明治 (Meiji), followed by the year of his reign the coin was minted. Each coin is read

clockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back up to the top. The opposite ...

from right to left, so in the example used below "一十二" would read as "year 21" or 1888. Some of the mintages included cover more than one variety of a given coin. *"Year" ← "Number representing year of reign" ← "Emperors name" (Ex: 年 ← 一十二 ← 治明)

Taishō

The following are circulation figures for one sen coins that were minted between the 2nd and 13th year of Taishō's reign. The dates all begin with the Japanese symbol 大正 (Taishō), followed by the year of his reign the coin was minted. Each coin is read

from right to left, so in the example used below "二十" would read as "year 12" or 1923. *"Year" ← "Number representing year of reign" ← "Emperors name" (Ex: 年 ← 二十 ← 正大)

Shōwa

The following are circulation figures for one sen coins that were minted between the , and year of Emperor Shōwa's reign. The dates all begin with the Japanese symbol 昭和 (Shōwa), followed by the year of his reign the coin was minted. Each coin is read

from right to left, so in the example used below "二十" would read as "year 12" or 1937. Coin patterns that include examples struck on porcelain are not included here as they were never issued for circulation. *"Year" ← "Number representing year of reign" ← "Emperors name" (Ex: 年 ← 二十 ← 和昭)

Shōwa era designs

Five different designs were used during the Shōwa era for the 1 sen coin, not including

which were never intended for circulation. As the weight and sizes were changed frequently after 1937, these designs have been listed separate with their respective information.

Collecting

The value of any given coin is determined by survivability rate and condition as collectors in general prefer uncleaned appealing coins. One sen coins with the dragon design (1873 to 1888) have two main key dates which are worth the most. The first key date are coins dated 1873 (year 3) given their low mintage, while the second and rarest key date of the series are coins from 1881 (year 14) with the "large 4" variety. The latter of the two features slightly different strokes inside the character "four" (四), which makes the inner right stroke look like an

obtuse angle In Euclidean geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two rays, called the '' sides'' of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the ''vertex'' of the angle. Angles formed by two rays lie in the plane that contains the rays. Angles ...

. Copper subsidiary coinage including half sen, sen, and two sen coins all initially use a dragon design. All of these except one sen coins have two varieties made during 1877 as the scales were changed from a square to a "V" shape pattern. One sen coins received the change in 1880, and there is little difference in value when it comes to the design of the dragon's scales. The next rice wreath design (1898 to 1915) spanned two imperial eras. In general, coins dated towards the end of the

Meiji era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

(1898 to 1902) are worth slightly more than those made under

. The most valuable of these coins are dated from 1900 and 1902 (year 33 and 35). Finally, one sen coins with the paulownia design (1916 to 1938) have a single key date with 1930 (year 5 of Shōwa). The one sen coin eventually received a crow design in 1938 and production increased until the series ended in 1945. Collecting these later dates remains affordable as there are plenty of surviving coins.

Notes

References

{{Japanese currency and coinage Coins of Japan Japanese sen One-cent coins