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1 Mon 'Wadōkaichin' new type
| Issuer | Japan |
|---|---|
| Year | 720-759 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.75 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain and uninscribed reverse, featuring a central square hole surrounded by a flat, undecorated field with a raised outer rim. The surface exhibits the characteristic texture of sand-cast copper coinage, with no additional devices, legends, or ornamentation. This blank reverse is entirely consistent with the East Asian cash coin tradition of the Nara period. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Wadōkaichin was Japan's first government-issued coinage, introduced in 708 under the Nara court partly in imitation of Tang Chinese cash coins and partly to facilitate payment of workers constructing the new capital at Nara. The "new type" designation covers the revised series struck from around 720 onward, distinguishable from the initial issue by subtler casting characteristics tied to changing foundry practices at the Yamashiro and other provincial mints. Distribution was heavily weighted toward the Kinai region — effective circulation never penetrated far into rural provinces, where rice and cloth remained the practical medium of exchange throughout this entire period.