40 000 Pesetas Horyu-Ji

This coin was issued as part of Spain's ongoing UNESCO World Heritage commemorative gold series, which the Real Casa de la Moneda launched in the 1990s to celebrate sites of global cultural significance — not just Spanish ones. Hōryū-ji, the Buddhist temple complex in Nara Prefecture, was inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1993, making it Japan's first World Heritage Site alongside Himeji Castle. The choice of a Japanese subject for a Spanish gold coin reflects the diplomatic and cultural exchange framework that characterized much of Spain's foreign policy outreach during the Felipe González years.