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1 Mon 'Eirakutsūhō' Hammered gold, Reverse Omodaka

Issuer Japan
Year 1587
Type Standard circulation coin
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Obverse description Round hammered gold flan with a raised inner square border framing the central square perforation. Four boldly rendered Chinese characters in regular script (kaisho) are disposed in the four cardinal positions around the central hole: 永 (ei) above, 通 (tsū) to the right, 寶 (hō) to the left, and 樂 (raku) below, together reading 永樂通寶 (Eirakutsūhō, meaning 'Eiraku Currency'). The characters are deeply struck in high relief against a plain, flat field, and the coin is encircled by a broad, plain rim typical of Japanese hammered coinage of the Sengoku period.
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Obverse lettering  永
寶 通
 楽
(Translation: Eiraku Currency)
Reverse description Plain hammered gold reverse featuring a raised inner square border surrounding the central square perforation, with the remainder of the field left largely blank. A small stylised omodaka (arrowhead plant, Sagittaria trifolia) motif is lightly struck in the upper field above the square hole, serving as the sole decorative element and acting as a mint or workshop mark. The broad, plain rim and generally flat, unadorned field are characteristic of Japanese hammered gold coinage of the late sixteenth century.
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