The Hojo (Board of Revenue) was one of several government offices authorized to operate its own furnaces during Joseon's cash coin expansion of the late 17th and 18th centuries, when chronic copper shortages forced the court to distribute minting rights across ministries, military commands, and even provincial agencies rather than concentrate production at a single royal mint. Each issuing office stamped its own identifier on the reverse, making attribution possible where it would otherwise be lost. The Hojo issues are generally better documented than provincial strikes, though die variation within the series is considerable.
The Hojo (Board of Revenue) was one of several government offices authorized to operate its own furnaces during Joseon's cash coin expansion of the late 17th and 18th centuries, when chronic copper shortages forced the court to distribute minting rights across ministries, military commands, and even provincial agencies rather than concentrate production at a single royal mint. Each issuing office stamped its own identifier on the reverse, making attribution possible where it would otherwise be lost. The Hojo issues are generally better documented than provincial strikes, though die variation within the series is considerable.