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Mameitagin 'Bunsei Mameitagin' Double Daikoku
| Issuer | Ginza (Tokugawa Shogunate Silver Mint) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1820-1837 |
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| Composition | Billon (.360 silver) |
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| Obverse description | Centrally dominating the irregularly rounded field is the large Kanji character '文' (Bun, abbreviating Bunsei), rendered in bold relief with confident, fluid strokes characteristic of Edo-period mint calligraphy. Surmounting the character is the iconic Daikoku hat (eboshi) motif, a stylized fan-shaped ceremonial cap depicted in raised relief, serving as the primary mint guarantee mark of the Ginza. To the left of the central inscription appears a small raised Daikoku mallet symbol, and flanking the right side is a curved form consistent with a second Daikoku emblem, confirming the 'Double Daikoku' classification. The lower register bears additional finely struck Kanji characters denoting mint assurance inscriptions, all applied by hand hammer onto the billon flan, resulting in the characteristic bean-shaped (mameitagin) irregular form. |
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| Mint | Ginza (Silver Mint) |
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| Additional information |
Mameitagin — literally "bean-shaped silver" — were produced by licensed Ginza minters using hammer-worked techniques unchanged since the early Edo period, each piece individually assayed and stamped by hand. The Bunsei issue of 1820 emerged from a period of chronic Shogunate fiscal pressure, when the silver content of these irregular pieces was quietly debased well below earlier Genroku and Hōei standards. The Double Daikoku counterstamp — two applications of the luck-deity punch — authenticated the piece as a Ginza product and confirmed its debased fineness was officially sanctioned rather than fraudulent.
No two mameitagin are identical in shape or weight. That was always the point.