Mumon Ginsen: Uninscribed Silver Before 708

Mumon Ginsen does not fit the same model as an inscribed copper cash coin. Its round silver form, small perforation, and weight-adjustment patches support a monetary interpretation, while variation and archaeological context prevent a simple claim that every example was a standardized circulating denomination.

無文銀銭Mumon Ginsen

Mumon Ginsen: Uninscribed Silver Before 708 · primary face — Museum-display replica; not an excavated original.Saigen Jiro · Public domain (PD-self)

Mumon Ginsen: Uninscribed Silver Before 708 · other face — Museum-display replica; not an excavated original.Saigen Jiro · Public domain (PD-self)

Metal: silver
Form: Perforated silver plate
Diameter: about 30 mm
Inscription: None

Evidence layers

Established, accepted, debated, and speculative

Directly established

The objects are silver, uninscribed, perforated, and archaeologically documented at multiple sites.

Widely accepted

Many researchers interpret weight adjustment as evidence for monetary silver and connect the group with the silver coin in the 683 edict.

Still debated

The exact production dates, normal circulation, denomination, ritual uses, and relationship to Fuhonsen are not conclusively settled.

Do not infer

Do not assign a square-hole cash-coin denomination, four-character inscription, mint, or universal weight to the group.

Object-specific record

Archaeological status: excavated at more than fifteen Kinai-centered sites
Context: find contexts span the seventh through ninth centuries; object production/use is generally placed from the mid-seventh to early eighth century
Interpretation confidence: medium
Hole: small central perforation, not the standard large square cash-coin hole
Weight evidence: {"targetObservationG":10.55,"basis":"possible one-bu target discussed in museum research; actual specimens vary"}
Production evidence: —

Relationship to Fuhonsen

Both belong to the pre-708 evidence horizon, but silver weight adjustment and cast copper production are different object systems.

Relationship to Wadō Kaichin

The 708 issue has firmer documentary issuance evidence. Earlier objects change the language of 'first coin' but do not erase Wado Kaichin's administrative importance.

Evidence

Sources and scope

These links support the claims on this page. Source authority does not imply permission to republish source images.

History of Japanese Currency Currency Museum, Bank of Japan

Fuhonsen and Mumon Ginsen context, the 708 issue of Wado Kaichin, state monetary policy, quality decline, the 958 final issue, and the return to commodity money.

Open source

Wado Kaichin and Ancient Coinage Exhibition Catalogue, Pages 1–5 Currency Museum, Bank of Japan

Mumon Ginsen, Fuhonsen, Wado Kaichin, Mannen Tsuho, Jingu Kaiho, documentary issue dates, circulation policy, and reading evidence.

Open source

Permanent Exhibition Guide: Ancient Times Currency Museum, Bank of Japan

Early silver, Fuhonsen alloy and chronology, Wado Kaichin, ancient state coinage, and restrained public-facing classifications.

Open source

Research on the Beginning of Coinage in Japan Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies, Bank of Japan

Historiography and competing interpretations concerning Mumon Ginsen, Fuhonsen, Wado Kaichin, and the designation of Japan's first coin.

Open source

Asuka and Fujiwara Palace Sites: Early Money and Fuhonsen Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

Weight-adjusted Mumon Ginsen interpretation and detailed archaeological production evidence for Fuhonsen.

Open source