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1 Mon 'Bunrokutsūhō'
| Issuer | Japan |
|---|---|
| Year | 1592 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central square perforation surrounded by four Chinese characters arranged in the traditional top-bottom-right-left reading order, rendered in a flowing running script (gyosho) style typical of Momoyama-period cast coinage. The four characters read 文通寳禄 (Bunroku Tsūhō), referencing the Bunroku era name and denoting currency. The fields between the characters and the raised square rim of the central hole are plain, with a slightly irregular raised outer border characteristic of sand-cast production. The overall fabric shows the granular surface texture and minor casting flaws consistent with late sixteenth-century Japanese silver alloy cash coins. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain field surrounding the central square perforation, devoid of any inscription, design, or decorative element. The surface exhibits the rough, porous texture characteristic of sand-cast silver alloy coinage of the Momoyama period, with a slightly raised outer rim and faint casting lines visible near the square hole. |
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| Additional information |
Struck on the orders of Toyotomi Hideyoshi to fund the first of his two invasions of Korea, the Bunrokutsūhō takes its name from the Bunroku era (1592–1596) declared the same year the campaign launched. Hideyoshi's treasury required rapid liquidity in a form portable enough for military logistics, and silver coinage served that need in ways rice payments could not.
The alloy composition varies noticeably across surviving examples, reflecting the pressured and improvised nature of production during an active war footing.