The Eiraku Tsūhō (永樂通寳) gold pieces were not Japanese in origin at all — the design derives from a Chinese Ming dynasty cash coin issued under the Yongle Emperor in the early 15th century. By the 16th century, Eiraku copper coins had circulated so widely in Japan that the name became synonymous with currency itself in certain regions, and Oda Nobunaga famously adopted the Eiraku mon as his personal banner device. The 1587 date places this piece squarely in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's consolidation period, following Nobunaga's assassination.
Hammered gold issues of this type were produced by a small number of licensed craftsmen rather than a centralized mint, which accounts for the weight variation seen across surviving specimens.
The Eiraku Tsūhō (永樂通寳) gold pieces were not Japanese in origin at all — the design derives from a Chinese Ming dynasty cash coin issued under the Yongle Emperor in the early 15th century. By the 16th century, Eiraku copper coins had circulated so widely in Japan that the name became synonymous with currency itself in certain regions, and Oda Nobunaga famously adopted the Eiraku mon as his personal banner device. The 1587 date places this piece squarely in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's consolidation period, following Nobunaga's assassination.
Hammered gold issues of this type were produced by a small number of licensed craftsmen rather than a centralized mint, which accounts for the weight variation seen across surviving specimens.