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1 Mon 'Kan'eitsūhō' NISUIEI, blank reverse
| Issuer | Japan |
|---|---|
| Year | 1626-1636 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 4 g |
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| Obverse description | Four Chinese characters are arranged in cruciform order around the central square hole, reading clockwise from top: 寛 (Kan), 通 (tsū), 永 (Ei), 寶 (hō), forming the legend 寛永通寶 (Kan'eitsūhō, meaning 'Kan'ei Currency'). The character 永 (Ei) is rendered in a distinctive irregular script style known as 'Nisuiei,' which serves as the primary variety identifier for this issue. The coin is cast with a broad, slightly raised rim enclosing a flat field, typical of early Edo-period cash coinage. The characters are in low relief against a plain field, with the square central hole neatly cast and lightly chamfered at its edges. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse is entirely plain and blank, with no inscription, decoration, or mint mark of any kind. The flat field is bounded by a raised outer rim, and the central square hole is cleanly cast. This blank reverse is a defining characteristic of the earliest Kan'eitsūhō issues produced from 1626 onward, distinguishing them from later varieties which bear wave patterns or other reverse designs. |
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| Additional information |
The Kan'ei Tsūhō series, introduced under the Tokugawa shogunate, became the backbone of Japanese copper coinage for over two centuries — an extraordinary run by any measure. This early issue, attributed to the Nisuiei mint period of 1626–1636, predates the proliferation of mint marks and reverse characters that would later allow specialists to attribute pieces to specific casting facilities across Japan. The blank reverse is not an anomaly but a deliberate feature of the earliest production, before the shogunate began using reverse markings to regulate and identify regional output.