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5 yen coin - Wikipedia
Wikipedia

5 yen coin

The 5-yen coin (五ご円えん硬貨こうか, Go-en kōka) is a denomination of the Japanese yen. The current design was first minted in 1959, using Japanese characters known as the "new script" and kanji in the kaisho style, and were also minted from 1948 to 1958 using "old-script" Japanese characters in the gothic style.[1] Five-yen coins date to 1870 (when, due to the much higher value of the yen, they were minted in gold). The modern-day coin was first produced in 1948 with a differently styled inscription. This was changed in 1959 and the design has remained unchanged since.

Five yen
Japan
Value5 Japanese yen
Mass3.75 g
Diameter22 mm
Thickness1.5 mm
Center hole diameter5 mm
Compositionc. 65% Cu
c. 35% Zn
Years of minting1870–present
Catalog numberKM 72, 72a, 96.1 and 96.2
Obverse
DesignRice, water and gear
Design date1959
Reverse
DesignTree sprouts
Design date1959

The obverse of the coin depicts a rice plant growing out of the water, with "five yen" written in kanji; the reverse is stamped with "Japan" and the year of issue, also in kanji, separated by sprouts of a tree. The three graphic elements of the coin represent agriculture and fisheries, the key elements of the Japanese first-sector economy. Around the central hole, there is a gear that represents industry. It is the only Japanese coin in circulation to lack Arabic numerals on either side.

History

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Gold five yen (1870-1930)

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Five yen coins were first struck in gold for the Japanese government in 1870 at the San Francisco Mint.[2] During this time a new mint was being established at Osaka, which did not receive the gold bullion needed for coinage until the following year.[3] The yen as a unit of currency was officially adopted by the Meiji government in an act signed on June 27, 1871.[4] For this particular denomination, its not known if any five-yen coins dated 1871 (year 4) were actually struck that year as official records have coinage beginning in 1872.[5][6] The first and second five yen coin designs feature a dragon figure on the obverse surrounded by legends, while the reverse features the emblem of the Imperial family.[a] Each coin was initially struck in .900 fine gold with a weight of 8.3g, and a diameter of 23.8mm.[7] The diameter was later reduced to 21.8mm when the second design was introduced in 1872.[8] Five yen coins continued to be struck uninterrupted until 1879, when for an unknown reason none were recorded as minted. Coinage resumed in 1880 and remained unchanged until 1897 when Japan officially switched from a silver standard to a gold standard.[9] During this time the gold five yen coin was given a third and final new design. The diameter was reduced from 21.8mm down to 16.9mm, and the weight was changed from 8.3 to 4.2 grams. Redemption of old silver coins for new gold coins at par began on October 1, 1897, and lasted until closure on July 31, 1898.[10][11]

During the Taishō era the production of five yen coins was impacted by World War I as a gold embargo was imposed in 1917 by the United States. Even though this embargo was later lifted in June 1919, the Japanese government continued it by importing gold heavily to re-enforce the gold reserve of the Bank of Japan. Government officials at the time had the opinion that no inflation could take place so long as the percentage of gold cover had not been lowered.[12] This embargo was not absolute however, as it was recorded that some gold coins were paid out between 1920 and 1928 in very small amounts.[13] The gold embargo was later lifted in January 1930, only for it to be re-imposed on December 31, 1931.[13][14] Five yen coins were last minted in gold during this brief time to act as a reserve for gold certificates. None of these coins were in general use afterwards as the medium of commerce consisted of nonconvertible 5 yen banknotes.[15]

Modern five yen (1948-)

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Almost 20 years would pass before the Japanese government authorized the production of a new five yen coin. These new coins were first struck in 1948 and are made of a brass alloy consisting of 60 to 70% copper, and 30 to 40% zinc.[16][17] Using this type of alloy combination is now a remnant from when World War II era weapons were scrapped to produce the coins.[18] These coins feature a pigeon within a circle on one side and the National Diet on the other and were only minted for two years. Two different varieties were made in 1949 which included the old pigeon type coins, and new coins featuring a hole in the center. These first holed five yen coins use an old style Japanese script known as Kaisho.[16] The Japanese government added the hole in the center of the coin to save material costs.[19] The overall design of the coin featuring rice, water and a gear on the obverse, and tree sprouts on the reverse has not changed since this time. The final design which is minted today uses a modern style script which was first added in 1959.[16]

Five yen coins made headlines in 1999 in regards to the nuclear accident at Tokai, Ibaraki. Physicists Masuchika Kohno and Yoshinobu Koizumi showed how the coin could be used to estimate neutron dosage to the surrounding population, by measuring its zinc isotope ratios. They concluded that the coin could offer information about the total neutron effect during the accident. The coins could also give insight about shielding modern Japanese houses as the coins were recovered from indoors.[20]

Very few five yen coins were minted between 2009 and 2013 ,making them premium coins for collectors as coins for the latter four years are confined to mint sets. This was due to an increase in the usage of electronic currency which inhibited demand for new coins.[21][22] Mintage figures recovered in 2014 as general production resumed until 2022, when 5 yen coins were again confined to mint sets.

Cultural significance

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The Japanese for "five yen," go en (五ご円えん) is a homophone with go-en (御ご縁えん), "en" being a word for causal connection or relationship, and "go" being a respectful prefix.[23] As a result, five-yen coins are commonly given as donations at Shinto shrines with the intention of establishing a good connection with the deity of the shrine.[24] Several different interpretations of this "luck" exist depending on how many five yen coins are offered.[24] While it is generally said that offering "lucky" 5 yen coins as tribute is good, there are others who disagree. Those who hold this opposing position argue that "perforated coins" such as "5 yen" and "50 yen" are unlucky due to their central holes.[24] Shrines in general depend on offerings in either case to fund maintenance, repairs, and operations for the deity or deities enshrined.[25] There are also other forms of offerings welcomed at shrines depending on the place and customs allowed. According to a priest at Chichibu Shrine, harvested rice was historically given as Shinto deities do not like cash itself as tribute.[25] Five yen coins are also sometimes given as gifts of "good fortune" during the Japanese New Year.[26] These gifts are traditionally given to children in decorated envelopes called "Otoshidama" (年とし玉だま), with the total amount of money included depending on age.[26]

Composition

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Years Material
1870–1930 90% gold, 10% copper
1948–present 65% copper, 35% zinc

Circulation figures

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Meiji

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5 yen coin from 1870 (year 3)
Design 1 - (1870–1871)
 
5 yen coin from 1872 (year 5)
Design 2 - (1872–1897)
 
5 yen coin from 1897 (year 30)
Design 3 - (1897–1930[b])

The following are circulation figures for the coins that were minted between the 3rd and the 45th (last) year of Meiji's reign. Coins for this period all begin with the Japanese symbol 明治めいじ (Meiji). One yen trade dollars and/or patterns are not included here.

  • Inscriptions on Japanese coins from this period are read clockwise from right to left:

"Year" ← "Number representing year of reign" ← "Emperor's name" (Ex: 年とし ← 五ご十じゅう三さん ← 治明じめい)

Year of reign Japanese date Gregorian date Mintage
03 3rd 三さん 1870 273,536[7]
04 4th 四よん 1871 00 Unknown[7]
05 5th 五ご 1872 1,057,628[8]
06 6th 六ろく 1873 3,148,925[8]
07 7th 七なな 1874 728,082[8]
08 8th 八はち 1875 181,728[8]
09 9th 九きゅう 1876 146,226[8]
10th 十じゅう 1877 136,271[8]
11th 一いち十じゅう 1878 101,198[8]
13th 三さん十じゅう 1880 78,704[8]
14th 四よん十じゅう 1881 149,249[8]
15th 五ご十じゅう 1882 113,015[8]
16th 六ろく十じゅう 1883 108,746[8]
17th 七なな十じゅう 1884 113,768[8]
18th 八はち十じゅう 1885 200,607[8]
19th 九きゅう十じゅう 1886 179,849[8]
20th 十じゅう二に 1887 179,303[8]
21st 一いち十じゅう二に 1888 165,794[8]
22nd 二に十じゅう二に 1889 353,914[8]
23rd 三さん十じゅう二に 1890 238,076[8]
24th 四よん十じゅう二に 1891 216,089[8]
25th 五ご十じゅう二に 1892 263,103[8]
26th 六ろく十じゅう二に 1893 260,424[8]
27th 七なな十じゅう二に 1894 314,337[8]
28th 八はち十じゅう二に 1895 320,090[8]
29th 九きゅう十じゅう二に 1896 224,325[8]
30th 十じゅう三さん 1897 (Type 1) 107,352[8]
30th 十じゅう三さん 1897 (Type 2)[c] 111,776[27]
31st 一いち十じゅう三さん 1898 55,888[27]
36th 六ろく十じゅう三さん 1903 21,956[27]
44th 四よん十じゅう四よん 1911 59,880[27]
45th 五ご十じゅう四よん 1912 59,880[27]

Taishō

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The following are circulation figures for the coins that were minted during the 2nd and 13th year of Taishō's reign. Coins from this period all begin with the Japanese symbol 大正たいしょう (Taishō).

  • Inscriptions on Japanese coins from this period are read clockwise from right to left:
"Year" ← "Number representing year of reign" ← "Emperor's name" (Ex: 年とし ← 三さん十じゅう ← 正大せいだい)
Year of reign Japanese date Gregorian date Mintage
2nd 二に 1913 89,820[28]
13th 三さん十じゅう 1924 76,037[28]

Shōwa

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5 yen coin from 1948 (year 23)
Design 1 - (1948–1949)
 
5 yen coin from 1949 (year 24)
Design 2 - (1949–1958)
 
5 yen coin from 1959 (year 34)
Design 3 - (1959–present)
 
Closeup of the "Old script" design
(Pre-1959)

The following are circulation dates which cover Emperor Hirohito's reign. The dates below correspond with the 23rd to the 64th year (last) of his reign. All five yen coins that were made before 1959 use kyūjitai, or old script Japanese. In 1949 only, two different styles of writing were used before a more modern one was established in 1950. This second style of writing was used until 1958 when the current script of Japanese took its place in the following year. Coins for this period will all begin with the Japanese symbol 昭和しょうわ (Shōwa).

  • Japanese coins are read with a left to right format:
"Emperor's name" → "Number representing year of reign" → "Year" (Ex: 昭和しょうわ → 四よん十じゅう八はち → 年とし).
Year of reign Japanese date Gregorian date Mintage[29][30][d]
05 5th 五ご 1930 (Gold) 852,563[e]
23rd 二に十じゅう三さん 1948 74,520,000
24th 二に十じゅう四よん 1949 (Type 1) 179,692,000
24th 二に十じゅう四よん 1949 (Type 2)[f] 111,896,000
25th 二に十じゅう五ご 1950 181,824,000
26th 二に十じゅう六ろく 1951 197,980,000
27th 二に十じゅう七なな 1952 55,000,000
28th 二に十じゅう八はち 1953 45,000,000
32nd 三さん十じゅう二に 1957 10,000,000
33rd 三さん十じゅう三さん 1958 (Old script) 50,000,000
34th 三さん十じゅう四よん 1959 (New script) 33,000,000
35th 三さん十じゅう五ご 1960 34,800,000
36th 三さん十じゅう六ろく 1961 61,000,000
37th 三さん十じゅう七なな 1962 126,700,000
38th 三さん十じゅう八はち 1963 171,800,000
39th 三さん十じゅう九きゅう 1964 379,700,000
40th 四よん十じゅう 1965 384,200,000
41st 四よん十じゅう一いち 1966 163,100,000
42nd 四よん十じゅう二に 1967 26,000,000
43rd 四よん十じゅう三さん 1968 114,000,000
44th 四よん十じゅう四よん 1969 240,000,000
45th 四よん十じゅう五ご 1970 340,000,000
46th 四よん十じゅう六ろく 1971 362,050,000
47th 四よん十じゅう七なな 1972 562,950,000
48th 四よん十じゅう八はち 1973 745,000,000
49th 四よん十じゅう九きゅう 1974 950,000,000
50th 五ご十じゅう 1975 970,000,000
51st 五ご十じゅう一いち 1976 200,000,000
52nd 五ご十じゅう二に 1977 340,000,000
53rd 五ご十じゅう三さん 1978 318,000,000
54th 五ご十じゅう四よん 1979 317,000,000
55th 五ご十じゅう五ご 1980 385,000,000
56th 五ご十じゅう六ろく 1981 95,000,000
57th 五ご十じゅう七なな 1982 455,000,000
58th 五ご十じゅう八はち 1983 410,000,000
59th 五ご十じゅう九きゅう 1984 202,850,000
60th 六ろく十じゅう 1985 153,150,000
61st 六ろく十じゅう一いち 1986 113,960,000
62nd 六ろく十じゅう二に 1987 631,775,000
63rd 六ろく十じゅう三さん 1988 396,120,000
64th 六ろく十じゅう四よん 1989 67,332,000

Heisei

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Heisei 5 yen coin from 2006 (year 18)

The following are circulation dates during the reign of Emperor Akihito (Heisei), who reigned from 1989 until his abdication in April 2019. The first year of his reign is marked with a 元もと symbol on the coin as a one-year type. Coins for this period all begin with the kanji characters 平成へいせい (Heisei). Five-yen coins dated between 2010 and 2013 were only released in mint sets.

  • Japanese coins are read with a left to right format:
"Emperors name" → "Number representing year of reign" → "Year" (Ex: 平成へいせい → 二に十じゅう六ろく → 年とし).
Year of reign Japanese date Gregorian date Mintage [29][d]
1st 元もと 1989 960,660,000
2nd 二に 1990 520,953,000
3rd 三さん 1991 517,120,000
4th 四よん 1992 301,130,000
5th 五ご 1993 413,240,000
6th 六ろく 1994 197,767,000
7th 七なな 1995 351,874,000
8th 八はち 1996 207,213,000
9th 九きゅう 1997 239,086,000
10th 十じゅう 1998 172,612,000
11th 十じゅう一いち 1999 60,120,000
12th 十じゅう二に 2000 9,030,000
13th 十じゅう三さん 2001 78,025,000
14th 十じゅう四よん 2002 143,662,000
15th 十じゅう五ご 2003 102,406,000
16th 十じゅう六ろく 2004 70,903,000
17th 十じゅう七なな 2005 16,029,000
18th 十じゅう八はち 2006 9,594,000
19th 十じゅう九きゅう 2007 9,904,000
20th 二に十じゅう 2008 9,811,000
21st 二に十じゅう一いち 2009 4,003,000
22nd 二に十じゅう二に 2010 510,000[g]
23rd 二に十じゅう三さん 2011 456,000[g]
24th 二に十じゅう四よん 2012 659,000[g]
25th 二に十じゅう五ご 2013 554,000[g]
26th 二に十じゅう六ろく 2014 87,538,000
27th 二に十じゅう七なな 2015 105,004,000
28th 二に十じゅう八はち 2016 35,064,000
29th 二に十じゅう九きゅう 2017 33,927,000
30th 三さん十じゅう 2018 17,960,000
31st 三さん十じゅう一いち 2019 16,946,000

Reiwa

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The following are circulation dates in the reign of the current Emperor. Naruhito's accession to the Crysanthemum Throne took place on May 1, 2019, and he was formally enthroned on October 22, 2019. Coins for this period all begin with the Japanese symbol 令れい和わ (Reiwa). The inaugural year coin (2019) was marked 元もと (first) and debuted during the summer of that year.[31]

  • Japanese coins are read with a left to right format:
"Emperors name" → "Number representing year of reign" → "Year" (Ex: 令れい和わ → 二に → 年とし).
Year of reign Japanese date Gregorian date Mintage[29][d]
1st 元もと 2019 20,574,000
2nd 二に 2020 29,528,000
3rd 三さん 2021 10,133,000
4th 四よん 2022 574,000[g]
5th 五ご 2023 463,000[g]
6th 六ろく 2024 TBD

Notes

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  1. ^ In numismatic terminology, a "legend" is a formal inscription found around the margin of a coin.
  2. ^ The third and final gold coin design was also used during Taishō, and Shōwa's reign.
  3. ^ Two coin designs were made in 1897, the second type is smaller as the weight was changed from 8.3 to 4.2 grams
  4. ^ a b c Mintages on the Japan Mint website are in thousands
  5. ^ These coins were not in general use.[15]
  6. ^ Two coin designs were made in 1949, the second type resembles the current one in use today.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Not circulated.[29]

References

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  1. ^ Coins from Japan: 5 Yen - Shōwa (Kaisho style) – 24-33 (1949-1958)" & "5 Yen - Shōwa (Gothic style) – 34-64 (1959-1989)"
  2. ^ Edouard Frossard (1878). The Coin Collector's Journal. Vol. 3. Scott and Company. p. 40.
  3. ^ Annual Report of the Director of the United States Mint. United States Mint. 1895. p. 368.
  4. ^ A. Piatt Andrew, Quarterly Journal of Economics, "The End of the Mexican Dollar", 18:3:321–356, 1904, p. 345
  5. ^ United States House of Representatives (1876). Commercial Relations. Vol. 15, Volume 284. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 1092. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  6. ^ Edouard Frossard (1878). The Coin Collector's Journal. Vol. 3. Scott and Company. p. 40. and possibly some were struck in 1871, meiji 4, but we have not been able to find any bearing this date.
  7. ^ a b c "Japan 5 Yen Y# 11". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z "Japan 5 Yen Y# 11a". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  9. ^ New Coinage law of Japan. Sound Currency Committee of the Reform Club. 1899. p. 28 & 29. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  10. ^ The Gold Standard in Japan. Sound Currency Committee of the Reform Club. 1899. p. 29. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  11. ^ Statistics Department (1966). Supplement to Hundred-year Statistics of the Japanese Economy. Bank of Japan. p. 93.
  12. ^ Studies in History, Economics, and Public Law. Vol. 299. Columbia University Press. 1928. p. 101. But when America lifted her gold embargo in June, 1919, Japan soon began to import gold heavily. And this naturally reenforced the gold reserve of the Bank of Japan. It had been the opinion of government officials that no inflation could take place so long as the percentage of gold cover had not been lowered.
  13. ^ a b Bank of Japan Notes. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1929. p. 20. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  14. ^ Currency. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1932. p. 231. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  15. ^ a b M. Epstein (1932). The Statesman's Year-Book. Springer. p. 1074. ISBN 9780230270619.
  16. ^ a b c "Current Coins list". Ministry of Finance (Japan). Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  17. ^ Annual Report of the Director of the Mint. Department of the Treasury. 1949. p. 82.
  18. ^ Currency of Japan -Guidance for Collection-. Japan Coin and Merchants Cooperative. 2010. pp. 184–186.
  19. ^ Yoichi Hirakawa (2013). 500 Common Senses That No One Can Ask Anymore. Kosaido Bunko. p. 194. ISBN 978-4331653395.
  20. ^ Kohno, Masuchika; Koizumi, Yoshinobu (2000). "Tokaimura accident: Neutron dose estimates from 5-yen coins". Nature. 406 (6797): 693. Bibcode:2000Natur.406..693K. doi:10.1038/35021138. PMID 10963586. S2CID 4424321.
  21. ^ "プレミア硬貨こうかの価値かち！種類しゅるい･査定さてい額がく･オススメの買取かいとり業者ぎょうしゃをご紹介しょうかい". Kosenkaitori (in Japanese). Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  22. ^ "【あなたも持もってる？】令れい和わでさらに高騰こうとうしそうなプレミア硬貨こうか！". dogatch.jp (in Japanese). 6 July 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  23. ^ "You may find mei mystifying". The Japan Times. 20 October 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  24. ^ a b c "五ご円えん玉だまの魅力みりょく！お賽銭さいせんに5円えん玉だまが必要ひつような18の理由りゆう". Osaisen (in Japanese). Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  25. ^ a b "お賽銭さいせんが銀行ぎんこう手数料てすうりょうで消きえていく 大量たいりょう硬貨こうかの取とり扱あつかいと神社じんじゃの悲鳴ひめい〈AERA〉". Yahoo News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  26. ^ a b Gill, Robin D. (2004). Topsy-turvy 1585: A Translation and Explication of Luis Frois S.J.'s Tratado (treatise) Listing 611 Ways Europeans & Japanese are Contrary. Paraverse Press. p. 676. ISBN 9780974261812.
  27. ^ a b c d e "Japan 5 Yen Y# 32". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  28. ^ a b "Japan 5 Yen Y# 39". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  29. ^ a b c d "年ねん銘めい別べつ貨幣かへい製造せいぞう枚数まいすう【令れい和わ5年ねん銘めい】" (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan Mint. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  30. ^ "Japan 5 Yen Y# 51". Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  31. ^ "Reiwa coins to debut summer 2019".
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