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Ōban 'Tenpō Ōban'
| Issuer | Edo Kinza (Tokugawa Shogunate) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1838-1841 |
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| Composition | Gold (.674) (.326 silver) |
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| Obverse description | Large oval gold flan with a horizontally ridged surface throughout. Dominating the lower two-thirds of the obverse is a bold, square-form ink-brushed Chinese character ('両', meaning ryō) rendered in kaisho script, flanked below and to the sides by three small circular raised kiri (paulownia) mon stamps of the Gotō assay family. Above the large character, a vertical column of cursive sōsho (grass script) ink-brushed characters reading '拾両後藤' (Ten Ryō, Gotō) descends from the upper field, executed with characteristic calligraphic fluency. The overall design reflects the traditional hand-brushed and stamped authentication technique distinctive of Edo-period ōban coinage. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese (traditional, grass script / sōsho) |
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| Additional information |
The Tenpō Ōban was authorized in 1837 as part of the Tenpō Reforms, the Shogunate's broad austerity program under Senior Councillor Mizuno Tadakuni aimed at addressing fiscal deterioration and rural economic collapse. Unlike earlier ōban issues, this type was struck at a measurably reduced gold fineness — the Kinza had been quietly debasing each successive ōban since the Keichō original of 1601, and the Tenpō issue brought gold content to its lowest point in the series.
Fewer than 8,000 are believed to have been produced across the issue's run. These were never currency in any practical sense — they functioned as presentation gifts and reserve instruments among the ruling class.