Mameitagin 'Genroku Mameitagin' Large 元

The Genroku Mameitagin was introduced in 1695 as part of the Shogunate's deliberate currency debasement under Rōjū Ogiwara Shigehide, who slashed the silver fineness of the mameitagin from roughly 80% to 64% — a policy that generated enormous profit for the treasury but triggered the first serious price inflation in Edo-period Japan. Merchants recognized the debasement almost immediately, and exchange rates between old and new silver adjusted within months of issue.

The "Large 元" designation distinguishes this stamp size from other Genroku-era countermarks applied during the same recoinage campaign.