Catalog
Chōgin 'Yuzuha Chōgin'
| Issuer | Japan |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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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 | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | JNDA#09-58 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Reverse presents a comparatively smoother but still coarsely textured field, characteristic of the unfinished underside of a cast silver chōgin. At the centre of the field, an ink-brushed inscription in cursive Japanese script (sōsho) reading '銀' (gin, meaning silver) serves as an assay or authentication mark applied by a silver tester (ginza). The granular, pitted surface surrounding the inscription is consistent with the raw cast silver finish standard to this type of premodern Japanese silver currency. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | 銀 |
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| Additional information |
Yuzuha Chōgin are a distinct subtype of the broader chōgin currency system that operated in Tokugawa Japan, distinguished by their assay marks — the yuzuha stamp indicating authorization under a specific minting administration. Chōgin were produced by the Ginza, the silver monopoly offices established by the Tokugawa shogunate, and circulated by weight rather than face value, making them functionally closer to bullion than to conventional coinage.
The fineness of chōgin was debased multiple times across the Edo period as the shogunate sought revenue through seigniorage — a recurring fiscal pressure that makes die and stamp attribution critical to accurate valuation of any individual piece.