is an early form of

Japanese currency Japanese currency has a history covering the period from the 8th century CE to the present. After the traditional usage of rice as a commodity currency, currency medium, Japan adopted History of Chinese currency, currency systems and designs fro ...

that was issued in 760 (

Tenpyō-hōji was a after '' Tenpyō-shōhō'' and before '' Tenpyō-jingo.'' This period spanned the years from August 757 through January 765. The reigning Emperor was , who was a mere figurehead while authority was in the hands of Fujiwara no Nakamaro an ...

4) during the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

. These coins were struck in a gold alloy, and have a circular square hole in the middle. Very few "Kaiki Shoho" coins were minted as they were possibly an early experiment. This is not a collectible type of coinage as the only 32 surviving coins are held by the Japanese government.

History

"Kaiki Shoho" coins were issued in the fourth year of

(760) during the reign of

Emperor Junnin was the 47th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 淳仁天皇 (47)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. The seventh son of Prince Toneri and a grandson of Emperor Tenmu, his reign spanned the years 758 ...

along with silver Taihei Genpō, and bronze Mannen Tsūhō coins. All three of these denominations are said to have characters written by scholar

Kibi no Makibi was a Japanese scholar and noble during the Nara period. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Kibi no Makibi"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 512. Also known as . Early life Kibi no Makibi was born in Shimotsumichi County, Bitchu Province (present- ...

. "Kaiki Shoho" in particular were minted on the order of

Daijō-daijin The was the head of the during and after the Nara period and briefly under the Meiji Constitution. It was equivalent to the Chinese , or Grand Preceptor. History Emperor Tenji's favorite son, Prince Ōtomo, was the first to have been acco ...

Fujiwara no Nakamaro , also known as , Brown, Delmer M. (1979). ''Gukanshō,'' p. 274 was a Japanese aristocrat (''kuge''), courtier, and statesman. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Fujiwara no Nakamaro"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 207. He was chancellor ('' Daij ...

, who was leading the government at the time. They were fixed in value and had an exchange ratio of 1 gold Kaiki Shoho coin for 10 silver Taihei Genpō or 100 bronze Mannen Tsūhō coins. Based on historical sources and archaeological evidence, Kaiki Shoho were probably not widely distributed. These is no given evidence that Kaiki Shoho actually circulated as currency, and the coins may have acted as "show money". Anthropologist Neil Gordon Munro remarked that Kaiki Shoho was intended to be the "pioneer of a gold currency". He concluded however, that the country was too poor at the time to "warrant such an experiment being carried out on a large scale." These coins were eventually lost to history until 1794 (

Kansei was a after '' Tenmei'' and before '' Kyōwa''. This period spanned the years from January 1789 through February 1801. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1789 : The new era name of '' Kansei'' (meaning "Tolerant Government" or "Broad- ...

6) when one piece was excavated from the ruins of

Saidai-ji } 280px, Model of Nara period Saidai-ji is a Buddhist temple located in the Saidiaji-Shiba neighborhood of the city of Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It became the head temple of the sect after the sect's founder, , took over administration in 1 ...

. It was then kept at Saidai-ji as a treasure until 1876 (Meiji 6) when it was offered to the emperor as he visited. As the coin passed into the Imperial family it eventually became a national treasure. It was noted in 1903 by "The Japan Weekly Mail" that this unique coin "left only a host of

conjecture In mathematics, a conjecture is a conclusion or a proposition that is proffered on a tentative basis without proof. Some conjectures, such as the Riemann hypothesis or Fermat's conjecture (now a theorem, proven in 1995 by Andrew Wiles), ha ...

s" on its origin. In 1937 (Showa 12) when 31 more coins were discovered by chance during land clearing for a residential area. All 32 coins are now kept as cultural artifacts which are managed by the Japanese government.

References

External links

Kaiki Shoho
at the

Tokyo National Museum The or TNM is an art museum in Ueno Park in the Taitō wards of Tokyo, ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the four museums operated by the , is considered the oldest national museum and the largest art museum in Japan. The museum collects, prese ...

{{Japanese currency and coinage (pre-yen) Japanese gold coins Economy of feudal Japan Currencies of Japan

History

See also

References

External links