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1 Mon 'Taisetsūhō' - Shō Taikyū
| Issuer | Ryukyu, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1457 |
| 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 | Central circular perforation surrounded by a raised inner rim. Four Chinese characters arranged in cruciform fashion around the central hole, read from top to bottom and right to left, forming the reign-era legend 大世通寶 (Taisei Tsūhō). The characters are rendered in standard script (kaishu) in raised relief, typical of East Asian cast cash coinage. The broad flat field shows extensive green and brown patination consistent with aged copper alloy. A raised outer rim encircles the entire design. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | Plain reverse featuring a central circular perforation with a raised inner rim and a raised outer rim enclosing a flat, uninscribed field. The surface exhibits a heavily patinated texture with mottled green verdigris and dark brown toning throughout, characteristic of long-circulated cast copper alloy cash coinage. No additional design elements, legends, or decorative features are present. |
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| Additional information |
Cast during the reign of Shō Taikyū, the sixth king of the First Shō Dynasty, this is among the earliest coinage produced within the Ryukyu Kingdom. The islands had long depended on imported Chinese and Japanese coins for commerce — Chinese cash circulated extensively through the archipelago's active role in the tally trade system. This domestic issue reflects the kingdom's growing administrative ambitions at a moment when Naha was one of the busiest entrepôt ports in East Asia.
The First Shō Dynasty collapsed just two decades after this coin's issue, replaced by the Second Shō in 1469.