Catalog
1 Mon 'Shōfugenpō' Regular Script
| Issuer | Nagasaki, City of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1668-1685 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Mon |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Four Chinese characters arranged around the central square hole, reading clockwise in regular script (kaisho): 祥 (top), 符 (right), 元 (bottom), 寳 (left), forming the legend 祥符元寳 (Shōfugenpō). Each character is positioned in one of the four cardinal fields relative to the hole, enclosed between the inner square rim and the raised outer rim. The casting is typical of Edo-period Nagasaki trade coinage, with moderate relief and visible patination. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese |
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| Additional information |
Nagasaki's city-administered currency occupied an unusual position in Tokugawa monetary policy. While the shogunate controlled national coinage, Nagasaki retained limited local minting authority tied directly to its role as Japan's sole officially sanctioned port for Dutch and Chinese trade. The mon circulating here passed through hands that no other Japanese coin could legally reach — Dutch VOC factors, Chinese merchant guild representatives, and bakufu-appointed trade commissioners all used the same local copper.
The "Shōfugenpō" designation refers to the calligraphic hand of the reverse characters, a classification system developed by later collectors rather than the mint itself. Regular script variants like this one are among the more frequently encountered of the Nagasaki series.