#Japan – Numismatic Exploits

Under Lock and Key

This month I had some long-awaited time off work, and due to the current pandemic hitting everywhere I did some day trips to other places here within the UK (A chance to see somewhere different from the small town I live in). One of these places was the city of York. A place I haven’t visited in about 10 years, and it has always been a charming city to visit for those who love history.

Whilst wandering the streets of York I came across an antique centre a stones throw away from the minster, and with time to kill before my train, I decided to have a look around.

Whilst perusing the cabinets I was more than tempted by the coins they had on offer, however in the last room at the back of the building I stumbled across what this month’s blog post will be about. At first, I dismissed it, but I found as I kept looking through the cabinets I was constantly drawn back to this item. It is nothing special or unique, but I found that by the end of the day I just had to have it.

The item in question, although not a coin itself, is related to coins and money. A little drab, and the years have not been too kind, but this early Showa Era (1926 – 1989) Japanese money box had a charm of it’s own.

The box is made of metal and has a dial and key type lock. Both dials have to be set to the correct combination and the lock has to be opened by the key before the lid is able to be opened by the knob found just above the keyhole.

Made between 1926-1936, this moneybox was manufactured under the Alps brand in Tokyo. Other such brands exist at the time showing similar designs and lock mechanisms. Brands such as Mitsuba, Star, Mitsuwa, High Class, and Dial also look very similar to the Alps brand I purchased.

The word Chokinbako (貯金箱) can be translated into moneybox, money bank, or loosely for Western tastes “Piggy-bank.” So it can be assumed this was an item to save up money.

In the West, the oldest money box which has been discovered dates from the 2nd century BC at the site of the Greek colony of Priene in Asia Minor. Money boxes have also been excavated at Pompeii and Herculaneum, and soon make an appearance across much of the late Roman Empire. It is believed that in the west the popularity of the ‘piggy-bank’ originates in Germany where pigs were revered as a symbol of good luck. The oldest German piggy-bank dates from the 13th century and was discovered during construction work in Thuringia.
In Asia, we can find the earliest known pig shaped container dating from the 12th century. It was discovered on the island of Java in Indonesia. Further pig shaped money boxes were also found in archaeological excavations in Trowulan, a village in the province of East Java and is believed to be the possible site of the capital of the ancient Majapahit Empire.

The term “piggy-bank” itself is in dispute with the earliest known use dating from the 1940’s. The earliest known use of “pig-bank” in English dates from 1903, which describes them as a Mexican souvenir. In Mexico piggy-banks are called ‘alcancia’ which originates from Andalusian Arabic.

Invasion and Occupation

A rather sad looking banknote has made it’s way into my collection this month. It has clearly seen better days, with many small rips and tears into it. The note itself is Japanese in origin, but was for use in Hong Kong during WWII.

Japan was notorious for issuing it’s own currency to the territories it occupied during WWII. Many of them forced to use the Military Yen.

The military yen was very similar in design to yen issued by the Bank of Japan except for large red text declaring that it was military issue and not official Japanese currency. The military issues were not backed by gold or silver, thus they could not be exchanged for the official Japanese yen issued by the central bank. The forcing of local populations to use the military yen officially allowed the Japanese to dominate the local economies of the territories it had occupied.

Hong Kong was captured by the Japanese on December 25th 1941. The following day the Japanese authorities decreed that Hong Kong was to use the military yen as it’s official currency. The official exchange rate between the Hong Kong dollar and the new military yen was set at 2 to 1, however, by October 1942 it had risen to 4 to 1. The use of the Hong Kong dollar was outlawed.

By 1944 the Japanese military was becoming more desperate in the war effort and would mass print more military yen banknotes to put into supply within Hong Kong. This quickly resulted in hyperinflation, and food rationing became a daily norm for much of the population.

When Japan surrendered unconditionally in 1945 and Hong Kong was returned to British authority many of the military yen banknotes were seized. At the time it was roughly estimated 1.9 billion banknotes were seized by British military authorities, and just prior to Japan’s surrender a further 700 million banknotes had been intentionally destroyed.

In September 1945, the Japanese Ministry of Finance declared that all military yen were to be null and void reducing them to worthless pieces of paper. The people of Hong Kong were left in absolute poverty at a stroke. Attempts for redress of these actions happened throughout much of the 20th century, with a court case finally being heard in 1993. The people of Hong Kong sued the Japanese government for the money that was lost due to the voiding of the military yen. A verdict was given in 1999 ruling against those seeking redress citing the Treaty of San Francisco as one of the reasons to deny compensation.

Daikokuten pays a visit

Back in early 2018 I had a two week long trip to Japan. Whilst there I managed to pick up a wide variety of different types of coins and banknotes to add to my collection. Within the post I wrote at the time I mentioned that I added a unique Japanese banknote called a Hansatsu to my collection (the post can be found here). The Hansatsu I acquired back then it turns out was on the small side of what was produced in Japan at the time. This month I have managed to acquire another Hansatsu note, one which dwarfs the size of the ones I got during my trip.

The Hansatsu itself measures 19.5cm tall and 4.7cm wide. It dates from the mid 18th century and was made from thick card stock. The feel of it is very similar to rough cardboard. The value of the banknote is 1 silver momne, and was produced in Amagasaki Han which is now a part of modern day Hyogo Prefecture.

The Han system is the historical term for the estate of the Daimyo who were powerful Japanese feudal lords. Differing from Western style of feudalism, the Japanese feudal domain was based on projected annual income rather than geographical size. The value of the Han itself was based on the Kokuda system, which determined how much rice could be produced for one person for one year. This unit of measurement was called a ‘koku’ and would form the basis of taxation for each Han. The value obviously varied from Han to Han, with the richest Han in the Edo period being the Kanazawa Han owned by the Tokugawa Shogunate. The value of which was estimated to be just over 1 million koku in 1690.

On the front of the Hansatsu, a large figure takes prominence at the top. This figure is the Japanese god Daikokuten, one of the seven Japanese gods of fortune within the Buddhist faith. As the value of much of Japan was tied to the production of rice, Daikokuten is often depicted on Hansatsu sat astride several rice bails. Furthermore, this is reinforced, as Daikokuten is also one of the deities tied to agriculture. As mentioned in my previous blog post, he is also tied to wealth, good fortune, and happiness, which has led him to be a popular God amongst the Japanese.

Tokyo coin sellers

Finishing off a small series of blog posts regarding my recent visit to Japan, I would like to close discussing my experiences with the sellers I encountered whilst visiting there. I was hoping to visit some traders whilst in Kyoto, however due to ill weather and conflicting plans, I never had the chance, so this blog post will mainly be dealing with those sellers I interacted with in Tokyo.

The first seller I visited was Ginza Coins (website in Japanese), funnily enough in the Ginza locale in Tokyo, south of the main train station. I was surprised with the location of this shop, as it was located within a shopping centre (something which is deemed very unusual in the UK), and didn’t seem out of place at all with the expensive clothing boutiques surrounding it. Many of the coins on display were behind glass cabinets, with some cheap lucky dip bins on top. Most were Japanese, but there were some proof sets from the US and Australia for sale as well. I think I remember seeing the odd proof Chinese coin too. The prices themselves were not extortionate, although a little above actual catalogue price (I know most shops add extra for overheads etc). What struck me the most was the fact that after asking to view a tray of coins the staff member quietly went back to her work and left me alone. This was a pleasure in itself. So often whilst perusing coins I have had staff members hovering nearby adding a subtle layer of pressure to speed up the process. Despite being a small-ish counter top in a shopping centre I was fully relaxed and at ease. I am not sure if this was regular Japanese business practice, or absolute trust in that I wouldn’t run away with the goods. Either way colour me impressed. Although….it could have been a clever sales tactic as I did buy more than I intended…

I had a somewhat similar experience at the next seller I visited. Although further afield from downtown Tokyo, the antique shop Wasendo in Asakusa was definitely worth the walk. Located in a small shopping arcade close to Senso-ji temple, it too had a casual atmosphere about it. Items on offer ranged from the numismatic to the philately, as well as numerous postcards and other items accustomed to the antique. Upon entering I was given a cheerful hello by the owner and then left to my own devices. The shop is not very big, similar in size to Ginza Coins, but certainly has more on show and is a feast for the eyes. Many of the items I bought during my visit were mixed in with most other items for sale, so it had an air of a treasure hunt about it. Similarly to Ginza Coins, when asked to see if I could examine a tray of coins in one of the cabinets I was left alone without residual pressure from the shop owner to hurry up.

Items on offer were a lot more varied from those at Ginza Coins, as there were coins and banknotes stretching worldwide, so I had the feeling of being like a kid in a candy store more than I should have. Prices were not far different from what I paid in Ginza either, but the added variety meant I had to be more choosy with my purchases. I did end up going back after leaving as I spotted a large collection of notgeld for sale in the glass cabinet outside…. I am sure the owner thought I couldn’t stay away.

Overall, my experiences of the sellers in Tokyo was very positive, the only downside and a piece of advice I could give you is to know what you are looking for if you are searching for something specific. Like most Japanese, communicating in English was very difficult, so resorting to gesticulating and basic phrases was a common occurrence. Although they were extremely patient with me. Furthermore, everything written down is in Japanese, so unless you know exactly what you are looking at, don’t expect any explanations from the staff, as again English is not really catered to.

Collection update – Japan Special

As the title reveals, and as my previous entry confirms, I spent several weeks in Japan earlier this month for my birthday. As well as visiting the Bank of Japan’s currency museum (see the last post which is dedicated to it), I also had a chance to visit some coin sellers in the Tokyo area. It was visiting these sellers which allowed me to acquire items which normally are difficult to find here in the UK (avoiding searching the internet of course), and usually are significantly more expensive.

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I managed to acquire these coins in a varied hodge-podge of places. The coins in the top left corner acquired in the more unusual place. Of course, it goes without saying that visiting Japan and not acquiring a 100 mon coin (bottom left) is practically impossible for a collector. This is not the first I have gotten, as my update back in December showed. However, seeing it for sale in Akihabara of all places, and at a significantly low cost meant it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

So I will first start discussing the coins to the right of the picture. At the top are five 4 Mon coins dating from the middle to late 18th century. A design influenced heavily by the Chinese, it was during this period that Japan declared that Chinese money could no longer be used as legal tender (a practice which had been going on for a fair number of centuries prior to this decision). This was due in part to the large influx of Chinese copper coins disrupting markets in Eastern Japan resorting many Japanese traders to using rice for transactions rather than coins themselves. After 1670, when the use of the old Japanese and Chinese coins became prohibited, many traders instead sold them overseas to make a profit. Vietnam was the main trading hub for these old coins, which resorted in Japanese mon coins becoming the de facto currency of the country due to the large influx of them. This stopped in 1715, when the Japanese Shogunate banned copper from leaving the country.

Below the mon coins is a solid silver rectangular 1 Bu coin, Ichibu-gin in Japanese. Dating from the dying days of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1853-1865). During this period the Shogunate had ruled Japan for roughly 700 years, but by the early 19th century, it was starting to show it’s weaknesses. Handling of several famines during the previous century had not gained it any popularity, and new ideas spreading from the West caused some dissent amongst the peasant population. The situation was further exacerbated by unfavourable demands placed on Japan by the encroaching Western powers. This is heavily characterised by the trade treaties first bargained in the US’s favour by the Perry Expedition in 1853. The Shogunate fell in 1867 when the Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu tendered his resignation to the Emperor and stepped down as Shogun. The following year the Emperor Meiji officially ended the Shogunate and after a brief civil war (Boshin War 1868-9) against the remnants of those who wanted the Shogunate to keep power, reclaimed it for the Imperial throne. The return of the Emperor to power in 1868 is known as the Meiji restoration.

The coins in the top left corner I acquired in one of the least likely of places. Again they were found in Akihabara, but this time they were in one of the many Gatchapon machines dotted around the district. Gatchapons are small machines containing pods (or eggs as we call them here in the UK), which for a small nominal sum you receive a random item from those displayed on the front of the machine. Seeing one dedicated to old Japanese coins and banknotes I couldn’t resist having a try. It also allowed me to get rid of some of the change out of my pocket. Some of the items on offer ranged from small iron or copper coins up to old demonitised banknotes. From what I could tell from the picture on the front of the machine, all dated from the early 20th century. The coins I got were a couple of copper Sen dating from the 1910’s and a 10 sen tin-zinc alloy coin dating from 1944. Overall, not worth the change I put into the machine, but honestly the fun and novelty of it all mitigated any financial loss I felt about it.

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Finally, the last thing I acquired whilst in Japan was this banknote called a Hansatsu. I will freely admit, I had no idea that these things existed until I visited the currency museum in Tokyo. They date from the late 17th century well until the Meiji restoration in 1868 when the Emperor started to issue the first national Japanese banknote called the Dajoukansatsu. Hansatsu notes are very similar to the German notgeld of the early 20th century in that they often could only be used in the region (Han) they were printed in, as well as not being official state issued currency. Most of them had equivalent values equal to metal coinage circulating Japan at the time, but some were also priced in the value of commodities like rice and fish. Some of the larger Hansatsu feature depictions of a large man, who is Daikokuten, one of the seven Gods of fortune from the Buddhist faith. He is often seen sat astride two rice bales due to his close connections with agriculture. He was also associated with weath, happiness and good fortune leading him to become a favourite deity throughout Japan.

Bank of Japan Currency Museum

So I have finally had a chance to visit another numismatic venue. This time travelling to the other side of the world to Japan. Two things stood out when I first entered the museum. The first was the price, apart from the British museum, this is the only other museum which has a numismatic section to be completely free. Secondly, and more frustratingly (although understandable), photography was forbidden inside the building. So I had to make do with a picture of the sign outside and one showing the floor-plan from the pamphlet I got.

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When entering the museum on the ground floor (the actual exhibition room is up a flight of stairs), you are greeted by a team of security guards and a metal detector. They are quite adamant that nothing stray enters the building, as I can attest there are some very valuable pieces on display which could easily be ‘acquired’ by the less discerning members of the public.

Another thing which happened during the check-in was when I was given a small bright red folder which had a brief translation and break-down of all the exhibition’s cases. The need for this became apparent when reaching the exhibition hall as everything was purely in Japanese.

The museum itself is not very large, but comparable in size to others I have been to. So that of itself was no big issue. It was definitely far better laid out than others though, with more space than the British museum, and some ordered progression throughout the room when compared to Vienna’s Kunsthistoriches Museum or Helsinki’s Kansallismuseo. The exhibit takes you through a certain route and journey through the history and evolution of Japan’s coinage. From the earliest coins copying those from China, to the more modern coins in circulation and the advent of paper money.

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There were some well preserved and fantastic pieces on display throughout the exhibition. From basic copper coins, through silver to gold. It was sad that the guide I was reduced to using was only a summary, as not being a native Japanese speaker I missed out on a dearth of information provided on the individual pieces on display.

As well as Japanese pieces on display, other nations coins and banknotes were sprinkled throughout the exhibit helping to explain Japans economic history. Also being used as examples to explain design decisions the Japanese mint took when producing their own. Again, the quality of the pieces chosen were of prime condition. I was also amused to find a 9th century Anglo-Saxon coin mixed in amongst the collection. To think something that old from England had travelled so far tickled me.

The exhibit also had a section on how Japanese people have attempted to forge the currency, as well as the mints attempts to tackle counterfeits. I have only found one other museum to do this, again referring back to the British Museum in London. Although, compared to London, the Bank of Japan museum focuses mainly on endeavours in Japan rather than a more worldwide effort the British museum approaches.

The museum also contains many hands-on exhibits within the space. Visitors are able to touch 1 million yen in bills to see how large the stack would be (and the chance to feel that much money haha). They also had a heavily chained wooden case filled with enough pure gold ingots to allow visitors to feel the weight of several millions yens worth of pure gold. I just managed to get the case off the table.

Finally, my favourte part of the exhibit was tucked away in the corner at the back of the room. It was several electronic shelves built into the wall with an electric keypad locking system. Visitors were able to type in a code printed on the wall, and the shelves in the case would switch out and present different types of coins or banknotes with a specific theme in mind. I managed to see German Notgeld, Japanese occupation money from the Second World War, and medieval clan tokens before my control of the keypad was wrested unwillingly from me to a group of schoolgirls on a field trip.

In short, the Bank of Japan currency museum was certainly one of the more well thought out and well designed musems on the topic of numismatics I have gone to.

Collection Update Jan ’18

This month I am presenting the last installment of my Asia focus in regards to additions to my collection. It is safe to say that no foray into Asia would be complete without at least touching upon China. It dominates the region, and would be extremely hard not to at least acquire several coins from it’s extremely long history. I have also attained another Japanese copper coin (2 Sen, Meiji Era), as well as another silver Indian coin (1 Jital, 1210-1235) from the Dehli Sultanate.

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I will start off with the rather worn and virdigrised coins on the piece of card. Both are clearly Chinese, and the one on the left dates from the year 7-14AD. It is a 1 Wu Shi coin from the ‘Emperor’ Wang Mang. I use the term emperor in quotes as Wang Mang was a court official during the Han dynasty who overthrew the Emperor of the Liu family and started the new Xin dynasty (which means ‘renewed’ in Chinese) under his control. Wang Mang was killed when the capital Chang’an (called Xi’an today) was attacked by forces loyal to the previous Han dynasty in 23AD. The Han dynasty was restored a few years later in 25AD and would continue to rule China until the start of the Three Kingdoms period in 220AD.

The coin on the right dates from 1094-98AD, and is a 1 cash coin from the Emperor Zhe Zong of the Song dynasty. Not much happened during Zhe Zong’s reign. He inherited the throne at the age of nine, and was under control of his grandmother until her death in 1093. He attempted reforms to gain further control on the empire, but due to political infighting amongst his courtiers, many of the reforms were not fully implemented. This would eventually lead to the collapse of the Song dynasty in the 12th century. Zhe Zong himself would die at the age of 24 in 1100.

The final two Chinese coins date from the early 20th century when China underwent massive political change and upheval. Following the turn of the 20th century, China was in the grips of the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901), a movement which was anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian. A pro-nationalist movement which had risen up in response to meddling from foreign powers in Chinese affairs, and aggressive Christian missionaries infiltrating all aspects of Chinese life. Chinese government officials were split on how to deal with the movement as some held sympathies due to harsh demands and exploitation inflicted by the Western Colonial powers during the previous decades. The attitude of the Empress changed in favour of the Boxers in 1900, when international intervention was beaten back at the Battle of the Taku Forts. Eight different foreign powers sent troops to China to deal with the rebellion, and the now hostile Qing government. In 1901 the rebellion was quelled and ultimately the ruling dynasty’s control of the country. With defeat and the apparent weakness of the ruling Qing dynasty(not just in the Boxer Rebellion, but the previous Sino-Japanese war), many military officers, students and court officials advocated a change of government to that of a Republic. The Wuchang uprising sprung up in 1911. Several months later, other provinces in China followed suit after receiving appeals from rebel forces, and by March 1912 the Empress of the Qing dynasty abdicated, leaving China to become a Republic.

Reflections and Collection update December ’17

So being the final blog entry of 2017, it gives one a chance to reflect on what I, as a collector and enthusiast have achieved over the last twelve months. This year I have acquired many different types of coins, with an aim of finding new and unusual pieces for my collection. This has caused me to start focusing on coins beyond the 20th century, or from countries which as a British person sound far-flung and exotic. The number of coins in my collection dating from before the turn of the 20th century has significantly increased. I feel I have attained more coins from the late 18th and early 19th centuries than I have done in the last 20 years.

This pursuit of acquiring older and older coins has yielded some fruit, and I have attained some coins dating back significantly further. With last months post about the coins from India being a prime example.

So apart from diversifying my collection, what have I actually learnt? I would say the one thing which comes to mind instantly is the blog entry on British token coinage I did back in the summer. My studies at university rarely ventured beyond the early medieval period, so knowledge of numismatics beyond that and the 20th century are rudimentary at best. Finding that Britain thought minting low value coinage as a stain on it’s integrity was novel in of itself. Pursuing this, led me to finally acquire a Cartwheel Penny, something I have mildly wanted since first seeing them in the British Museum many years ago. Through discovering this new type of token coinage, my own interest in alternative monetary systems has increased. As understanding the cultural significance of money has always been a keen personal project. As evidenced by a post I dedicated to Notgeld towards the start of this year. Hopefully in 2018, I will be able to continue to acquire older and older pieces, but also discover more token coinage and other alternatives people have used to facilitate trade.

Speaking of acquiring things. This month I have continued with the theme of pursuing pieces from Asia. This time from Japan:

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From the picture above we can see a cast lead-bronze Japanese 100 Mon piece. Dating from the late Edo and early Meiji era, it was cast some time between 1835 and 1870. Most pieces were cast in either Tokyo, Osaka or Fukagawa, but there is evidence more provincial mints also produced samples. It features on the rim, on the long oval side, two cherry blossom stamps. In line with the central square hole.
Japan during this period went from a long period of peace and prosperity in the long running Edo period (1600-1858), during which it was ruled by the Tokugawa shogunate which enforced a policy of isolationism. This seclusion would later be ended, and Japan opened up to the rest of the world after the American Perry expedition in 1854-3. It was through the Meiji period (1868-1912) that Japan would receive plenty of Western influences and would begin to industrialise. With power transferred back to the Emperor after the fall of the Shogunate in 1868, Japan was free to expand it’s influence and it’s Empire.