An authentic-style example of one of Japan's distinctive rectangular silver coins, this Japanese Isshugin (一朱銀), or 1 Shu Silver, represents the fascinating monetary system of late Edo-period Japan.
Unlike Western coins of the period, Japanese silver currency was produced in distinctive rectangular forms with vertically arranged characters and official mint markings. The Isshugin circulated alongside other gold, silver, and copper denominations during the final decades of the Tokugawa shogunate.
This example displays the traditional 一朱銀 (1 Shu Silver) inscription along with the characteristic reverse markings associated with official Japanese silver coinage.
Item Details
The coin has been tested as silver.
The Isshugin was part of Japan's pre-modern monetary system before the country adopted the yen during the Meiji period.
Japan's monetary system at the time used denominations based around the ryō, bu and shu, with 16 shu equaling one ryō. Rectangular silver pieces such as this were therefore functioning currency rather than commemorative pieces or bullion ingots.
The Kaei-era Isshugin was introduced during the turbulent final years of the Tokugawa shogunate—a period that saw increasing foreign contact, Commodore Matthew Perry's arrival in Japan, the opening of Japanese ports, and ultimately the political transformation that culminated in the Meiji Restoration.
That makes these small silver coins tangible artifacts from the final years of samurai-era Japan.
This is an antique circulated coin and shows expected age, surface wear, toning, marks and other evidence of historical use.
Please review all photographs carefully, as the photographs are considered part of the condition description and show the exact coin being offered.
The coin has not been professionally graded or attributed to a specific Isshugin calligraphic variety. We therefore make no representation that it is one of the scarcer varieties within the series.
A distinctive piece of genuine Japanese monetary history from the closing years of the samurai era and Tokugawa shogunate.
