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4 Mon 'Bunkyūeihō' Bosen, copper alloy, Simplified Hō, CHŪKAKU
| Issuer | Japan |
|---|---|
| Year | 1863-1868 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | 31 December 1953 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese |
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| Reverse description | The reverse field is entirely covered by a cast decorative pattern of eleven overlapping wave or scale motifs (seigaiha-style), radiating symmetrically around the central square perforation. Each wave unit is delineated by incised arcing lines creating a fan-like, layered appearance across the full coin surface. The design fills the field to the raised outer rim without any inscriptions or additional devices, serving as the characteristic reverse type for this Bunkyūeihō 4 Mon series. |
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| Additional information |
The Bunkyū Eiho four-mon was authorized in 1863 as part of a broader attempt to address Japan's chronic copper shortage during the late Tokugawa period. The simplified hō character variants — of which the Chūkaku type is one — were introduced to speed production across multiple furnace operators, since the ideographic complexity of the standard character slowed die-cutting considerably. These simplified forms are catalogued as distinct types precisely because the variations were deliberate policy, not mint error.
Production continued into the early Meiji years before the new government overhauled the currency system entirely by 1871.