Wadōkaichin

Wadōkaichin (和同開珎), also romanized as Wadō-kaichin or called Wadō-kaihō, is the oldest official Japanese coinage, having been minted starting on 29 August 708[1] on order of Empress Genmei.[2][3][4]

Copper wadōkaichin (和同開珎) coinage from the 7th century, Asuka period
Silver Wadōkaichin (和同開珎) coin, 8th century, Japan. Japan Currency Museum.
Wadōkaichin copper coin.
The Chinese Kāiyuán Tōngbǎo coin (開元通寶), first minted in 621 CE in Chang'an, was the model for the Japanese Wadō Kaihō.

Description

The Wadōkaichin began being produced following the discovery of large copper deposits in Japan during the early 8th century.[5]

The coins, which were round with a square hole in the center, remained in circulation until 958 CE.[6] These were the first of a series of coins collectively called jūnizeni or kōchō jūnisen (皇朝十二銭).[7]

"Wadōkaichin" is the transliteration of the four characters in the coin's inscription, which is thought to be composed of the era name Wadō (和銅, "Japanese copper"), which could alternatively mean "happiness", and kaichin, thought to be related to "currency".

This coinage was inspired by the Chinese Tang dynasty coinage (唐銭) named Kaigen Tsūhō (Chinese: 開元通宝, Kāiyuán tōngbǎo), first minted in Chang'an in 621 CE. The Wadōkaichin had the same specifications as the Chinese coin, with a diameter of 2.4 cm and a weight of 3.75 g.[8]

Hoards of Wadōkaichin cash coins
  • In February 2015 Japanese archeologists discovered ritual jars filled with Wadōkaichin and Jingō Kaihō (神功開寳) cash coins at the Tehara ruins in Rittō, Shiga Prefecture.[9] The jars were placed there as a part of a Buddhist ritual, which indicates that the site was likely a government office or the resident of an important local.[9]
  • On August 17, 2015 four Wadōkaichin cash coins were discovered at te East Pagoda of Yakushi-ji, Nara during a restoration.[5] The Wadōkaichin were located 1.3 meters east of a foundation rock at the bottom of the 1.7 meter-deep base of the East Pagoda of the temple.[5] Experts from the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties and the Nara Prefectural Archeological Institute of Kashihara believe that the Wadōkaichin were buried at the East Pagoda during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Buddhist temple and that these cash coins were used for purification purposes.[5] According to the experts, this discovery at the Yakushi-ji is the oldest known example of the ancient Japanese practice of burying a widely-circulated cash coin to purify a construction site anywhere in Japan.[5]
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See also

Notes
  1. On the 10th day of the 8th month of the first year of the Wadō era based on the traditional Japanese date, according to Shoku Nihongi
  2. Titsingh, Isaac (1834), Annales des empereurs du Japon (in French), pp. 63–5.
  3. Brown, Delmer et al. (1979). Gukanshō, p. 271,
  4. Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki. p. 140.
  5. "Four Wadokaichin Coins Discovered Under East Pagoda of Yakushi-ji Temple". Gary Ashkenazy / גארי אשכנזי (Primaltrek – a journey through Chinese culture). 26 August 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  6. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005), "Wadō-kaihō", Japan encyclopedia, p. 1024, ISBN 9780674017535; n.b., Authority File, Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
  7. Nussbaum, p. 539.
  8. Japan Currency Museum (日本貨幣博物館) permanent exhibit.
  9. Liz Leafloor (3 February 2015). "Rare ritual jars found buried under ancient ruins in Japan intended to purify, bring eternal youth". Ancient-Origins. Retrieved 6 April 2020.

References
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