Japan · c. 1854–1897

Bakumatsu and Early Meiji Coinage

Follow Japan’s monetary transformation from ryō, weighed silver, and mon through the treaty-port crisis to yen, sen, rin, and machine-struck coinage.

幕末・明治初期の貨幣

Obverse of a representative Man’en Koban, retaining its oval form — As6673 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · exact type representative

Reverse of a representative Man’en Koban, retaining its oval form — As6673 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · exact type representative

Core routes: 15
Issue studies: 12
Cleared image pairs: 10
Indexable routes: 27

Context

Historical and monetary setting

Foreign silver exchange exposed a sharp gold-silver mismatch. Ansei and Man’en emergency reforms reduced precious-metal content; the Meiji government then inherited a mixed currency environment before adopting the decimal yen system in 1871.

Identification

How to classify the evidence

Use the transition records to distinguish late Tokugawa continuation issues, emergency reforms, early Meiji ryō-based money, and modern decimal coins.

Evidence boundary

What this page does not claim

This phase stops at the monetary-standard transition. It does not implement later Meiji, Taishō, colonial, occupation, or commemorative catalogs.

System change

From Tokugawa units to modern coinage

Ryō / Bu / Shu · monme silver · mon
Foreign-trade crisis
Ansei and Man’en recoinages
Meiji transitional currency
Yen / Sen / Rin
Machine-struck modern coinage

1854–59Treaty-port exchange

Thumbnail: Obverse and reverse of a representative Man’en Koban, retaining its oval form — Representative contextual image: Obverse and reverse of a representative Man’en Koban, retaining its oval form.↗

1859–60Ansei and Man’en reforms

1868Meiji Restoration and currency coexistence

Thumbnail: Obverse and reverse of an early Meiji twenty-yen gold coin — Representative contextual image: Obverse and reverse of an early Meiji twenty-yen gold coin.↗

1871New Currency Act and Osaka mint

Thumbnail: Obverse and reverse of a Meiji 8 (1875) Trade Yen of Japan. — Representative contextual image: Obverse and reverse of a Meiji 8 (1875) Trade Yen of Japan.↗

1875–77Trade Yen

Thumbnail: Obverse and reverse of an 1889 Meiji 22 one-yen silver coin — Representative contextual image: Obverse and reverse of an 1889 Meiji 22 one-yen silver coin.↗

1897New gold standard and Gin context

Continue

Related transition references

Foreign Silver in Japan New Currency Act of 1871 Early Meiji Gold Coinage Early Meiji Silver Coinage Early Meiji Copper and Bronze Coinage Japanese era-date guide

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: Opening of the Country and Gold Outflow Bank of Japan Currency Museum

Treaty-port exchange, Mexican dollars, gold outflow, Man’en reform, transitional currency, and the 1871 decimal system.

Open source

150 Years of the Japan Mint Japan Mint

Osaka mint establishment, modern machinery, institutional history, and coin standards.

Open source