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2 Mon 'Genpōtsūhō' Regular Script
| Issuer | Nagasaki, City of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1659-1667 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Four Chinese characters in regular script (kaishu) arranged clockwise around a central square perforation, reading 元豊通寶 (Genpō Tsūhō). Each character occupies one of the four cardinal positions relative to the hole: 元 at top, 豊 at right, 通 at bottom, and 寶 at left. The characters are boldly cast in raised relief against a recessed inner field, with a broad, flat rim encircling the entire obverse. The overall design follows the traditional East Asian cash-coin format, with the square hole framed by a raised rim on all four sides. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Genpō tsūhō 2-mon pieces struck at Nagasaki occupy a peculiar position in Edo-period monetary history. Nagasaki was Japan's sole sanctioned gateway for foreign trade under the sakoku restrictions, and the city held unusual administrative latitude — enough to authorize its own copper coinage while most of Japan remained dependent on coins cast under Tokugawa central authority. These pieces circulated primarily within the port economy, greasing transactions between merchants, interpreters, and the tightly controlled Dutch and Chinese trading communities confined to Dejima and the Tang'nin yashiki.
The eight-year production window ended not by decree but by absorption into the broader Kanei tsūhō supply network.