Authority model checked 2026-07-31
Korea Coins under Japanese Rule: What Circulated
Canonical Korea context keeps Korean Empire issues, Japanese colonial circulation, and postwar reform in their correct systems.
日本の植民地・海外・占領地における貨幣関係
This page documents a circulation or note-system relationship, not a territory-specific coin issue.
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- Authorities
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- Coin records
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- Status
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Identity first
Control is not the same as issuance
Every record keeps six relationships visible. This prevents a Japanese minting or control relationship from overwriting the issuer and jurisdiction printed into the coin's history.
Who exercised power over the jurisdiction.
The territory or state in which the system operated.
The government, central bank, colonial bank, or regime bank responsible.
The unit, parity, legal-tender basis, and note/coin layers.
A manufacturer may produce for a foreign issuer without owning the issue.
The country or historical jurisdiction under which the coin belongs.
Political geography
Jurisdiction and canonical identity
The canonical country field governs catalog ownership; the controlling-power field preserves the political relationship.
| Jurisdiction | Political class | Control | Canonical catalog | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Korea under Japanese rulekorea-japanese-rule | colony | japan | korea | 1910–1945 |
Authority hierarchy
Issuer, note bank, administration, and mint
A dash means the authority did not perform that issuing role; it does not mean the authority was absent from the wider system.
Currency layers
Coins and banknotes are modeled separately
Taiwan and Korea had territory-specific note systems while using Japanese metropolitan coins. Karafuto and the South Pacific Mandate used the Japanese yen directly. Manchukuo had a separate yuan system.
| System | Unit | Coin layer | Banknote layer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chosen yen systemkorea-japanese-rule | yen | Japanese metropolitan subsidiary coins; no separate colonial coin series verified | Bank of Chosen notes |
Change over time
Currency transitions
Adoption, parity, succession, and withdrawal are distinct events. A conversion rate appears only when a cited source states it.
- Korea under Japanese rule
The Bank of Chosen became the colonial note authority; pre-annexation Korean Empire coins remain canonically Korean.
- Korea under Japanese rule
The Bank of Korea inherited note circulation while Japanese subsidiary coins remained temporarily in use.
- Korea under Japanese rule
The hwan reform ended legal use of Bank of Chosen notes and Japanese one-jeon coins.
100 won = 1 hwan
Context only
Banknote systems are not coin objects
Bank of Chosen yen notes are contextual; Japanese subsidiary coins remain Japanese issues.
Excluded from coin issue countJapanese control does not make a foreign coin Japanese. Japanese use abroad does not create a colonial coin issue. Mint production does not prove circulation. No occupation countermark is published without institutional evidence.
Evidence
Sources and scope
These links support the claims on this page. Source authority does not imply permission to republish source images.
Comparative legal-tender and currency structure for Taiwan, Korea, South Karafuto, the South Pacific Mandate, and Manchukuo.
Open source1950 succession from Bank of Joseon notes and continued use of Japanese subsidiary coins.
Open sourceKorean Empire coinage remains Korean canonical context rather than Japanese colonial issuance.
Open source100 won to one hwan conversion and withdrawal of Bank of Joseon notes and Japanese one-jeon coins.
Open source