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Taishō · 1912–1926

Taishō Coinage

Taishō coinage combined late-Meiji continuities with lighter bronze, holed cupronickel, and a reduced silver 50 sen, while documented Yatagarasu pieces never entered circulation.

大正時代の貨幣

Obverse of the Taisho 11 (1922) 50 Sen of Japan Reverse of the Taisho 11 (1922) 50 Sen of Japan
As6673, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; deterministic crop and conversion. · Representative contextual pair
Core routes
20
Issue studies
14
Exact image pairs
15
Indexable routes
0

Context

Historical and monetary setting

The reign boundary did not reset the currency system. Existing gold and subsidiary-silver standards continued where dated issues existed. New small-change designs reduced mass, introduced central holes, and in 1922 replaced the earlier large 50-sen silver format with a smaller Phoenix type.

Identification

How to classify the object

Do not split a type merely because its dates cross Meiji, Taishō, or Shōwa. Record the type once and attach era-specific issues.

Evidence boundary

What this page does not claim

Taishō-dated Silver Yen production for Taiwan is contextual, not ordinary domestic Taishō circulation.

SeriesDenominationYearsMaterialMass gDiameter mmForm
5 Rin Bronze5 Rin1916–1919copper2.118.78solid
1 Sen Bronze1 Sen1916–1938copper3.7523.03solid
Large Holed 5 Sen Cupronickel5 Sen1917–1920copper4.2720.6holed
Small Holed 5 Sen Cupronickel5 Sen1920–1932copper2.6219.09holed
Holed 10 Sen Cupronickel10 Sen1920–1932copper3.7522.12holed
Phoenix 50 Sen Silver50 Sen1922–1938silver4.9523.5solid

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Related Taisho–Showa references

Evidence

Sources and scope

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

Coins from the Meiji era onward Bank of Japan Currency Museum

Official specifications, first-issue years, legal-expiry dates, wartime and postwar regular types.

Open source
History of holed coinage Japan Mint

Taishō holed 5- and 10-sen designs, material saving, anti-counterfeiting, and the unissued Yatagarasu 10 sen.

Open source
The history of the 1 yen Japan Mint

1914 Silver Yen production context, 1948 brass 1 yen, its 1950 production stop, and the 1955 aluminum successor.

Open source