The 10 yen coin (十円硬貨, Jū-en kōka) is a denomination of the Japanese yen . On its reverse side, it displays the numerals “10” and the date of issue in kanji, surrounded by bay laurel leaves. The dating system on Japanese coins uses the Japanese era calendar, which indicates the year based on the reign of the current Emperor. Each new Emperor’s reign begins a new era, with year 1 being the first year of their rule.
Here’s how to understand the date on a 10 yen coin:
- Era Name: You’ll find the kanji symbols for the era name first. There have been several eras in modern Japanese history, including:
– 明治 (Meiji): 1867 – 1912
– 大正 (Taisho): 1912 – 1926
– 昭和 (Showa): 1926 – 1989
– 平成 (Heisei): 1989 – 2019
– 令和 (Reiwa): 2019 – Present
- Year of Reign: Following the era name, you’ll see the year of the Emperor’s reign, represented by kanji symbols (except on some modern coins which use Arabic numerals). The first year of an era may be denoted by the character 元 (first).
- Year Symbol: The last character in the date will be 年 (meaning “year”).
- Reading Direction: The dating on Japanese coins is typically read clockwise (right-to-left), though some may be read counter-clockwise (left-to-right). The position of the 年 character helps determine the reading direction: if it’s on the left, read right-to-left; if it’s on the right, read left-to-right.
By combining the era name and year of reign with the starting year of that era, you can determine the Gregorian calendar year in which the coin was minted. For instance, a coin marked 平成 (Heisei) and displaying the symbol for year 3 would correspond to the year 1991 (1989 + 3 – 1).
How do you date a Japanese 10 yen coin?
I can help with that. Japanese coins are dated by ruling emperor (year of accession) plus the regnal year. Prior to 1948 regnal numbers are read from right to left. Examples: Emperor (Mutsuhito) regnal year from R to L = 2 x 10 + 6.
How old is the 10 yen coin?
Bronze ten yen coins were first minted in 1951, but were not released for general circulation until January 4, 1953. Ten yen coins minted between 1951 and 1958 have reeded edges and are nicknamed Giza 10 (ギザ10, Giza Ju), meaning “jagged 10 yen coin” in Japanese.
Is a 10 yen coin rare?
The first ten yen coins were made from 1871 to 1989 with coins dated 1871, 1876, 1877, 1951, and 1958 using a bronze temple and dragon design. All of these dates in side of those from 1871 to 1989 are now rarely found for sale as they are highly valued.