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1 Mon 'Kan'eitsūhō' Copper alloy, 佐 'Sa' reverse
| Issuer | Japan |
|---|---|
| Year | 1714-1781 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Cast copper-alloy cash coin featuring a central square hole surrounded by four Chinese characters arranged in cruciform reading order. The legend 寛永通寶 (Kan'eitsūhō, meaning 'Currency of Kan'ei') is disposed in the four cardinal positions around the central perforation: 寛 at top, 通 to the right, 寳 to the left, and 永 at the bottom. The characters are rendered in standard script (kaisho) within a broad, flat field bordered by an inner square rim and an outer circular rim. The coin exhibits characteristic casting texture consistent with Japanese sen-casting tradition, with patchy verdigris and cuprite patination visible across the surface. |
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| Reverse script | Chinese (Kanji) |
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| Additional information |
The Kan'eitsūhō series ran for well over a century under successive mints, but the 'Sa' mintmark identifies production at the Sano mint in Shimotsuke Province, authorized during the Kyōhō-era coinage reforms initiated by shōgun Tokugawa Yoshimune. Yoshimune's broader fiscal program sought to reverse the currency debasements of the Genroku period, restoring metallic standards that earlier administrations had quietly eroded to fund court expenditures.
DHJ references 4.115–118 and 4.121 suggest minor die variations within this mintmark group — not unusual given Sano's extended operational period across multiple decades.