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1 Mon 'Kan'eitsūhō' Old type
| Issuer | Tokugawa Shogunate |
|---|---|
| Year | 1636-1656 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Cast copper cash-type coin featuring four Chinese characters arranged in a cruciform pattern around a central square perforation, reading clockwise from top: 寛 (Kan), 通 (tsū), 永 (ei), 寶 (hō), together forming the legend 寛永通寶 (Kan'eitsūhō, meaning 'Currency of the Kan'ei Period'). The bold, raised characters are executed in regular script (kaisho) style and are set within a plain, flat field bounded by a raised inner rim surrounding the square hole and a broad outer rim. The overall design follows the established East Asian cast coin tradition. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain, unadorned reverse field with a broad flat rim encircling the coin and a raised square boss surrounding the central square perforation. No legends, symbols, or decorative elements are present; the surface between the inner boss and outer rim is smooth and featureless, consistent with standard Edo-period cast cash coin production. |
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| Additional information |
Kan'ei Tsūhō production began in 1636 across multiple mints simultaneously — an unusual decentralized approach that reflected the Shogunate's need to flood the economy with reliable copper coinage after decades of monetary fragmentation. The "old type" designation distinguishes these early issues from the vast wave of provincial and domain mint productions authorized later in the century, when output expanded so dramatically that the coin remained in official circulation into the Meiji period — over two hundred years after this first striking.