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← 1916–1924 TAISHŌ 1 SEN
WORLD COINS - JAPAN - 1 SEN - CIRCULATION

1916 Japan 1 Sen Circulation — Taishō 5

Paulownia (Kiri) Bronze Type · First year of the reduced-size design

01 IDENTITY

Coin Identity

CountryJapan
Denomination1 Sen (0.01 Yen)
Year1916
Japanese EraTaishō 5
Date Inscription大正五年 (characters arranged right-to-left on the coin)
Coin TypePaulownia (Kiri) Bronze 1 Sen
Issue FormatStandard circulation
Minting AuthorityJapan Mint
02 PHYSICAL PROFILE

Physical Specifications

CompositionBronze: Copper 95%, Tin 4%, Zinc 1% [Bank of Japan]
Standard Weight3.75 g [Bank of Japan]
Diameter23.03 mm [Bank of Japan]
Thickness1 mm [Numista; secondary catalogue]
ShapeRound
EdgePlain [Bank of Japan]
Type Date Range (Taishō)1916–1924

The Bank of Japan's official historical coin table identifies the 1916 issue with a 23.03 mm diameter, 3.75 g nominal weight and a 95/4/1 copper–tin–zinc alloy. The approximately 1 mm thickness is a secondary catalogue specification, not verified against that official table.

03 DESIGN & CONTEXT

Design

Denomination & Arabesque Side

The denomination 一錢 appears within concentric circles, framed by ornamental arabesque and chrysanthemum motifs. Japan's official historical table identifies this as the obverse.

Paulownia & Date Side

A five–seven paulownia emblem is accompanied by cherry blossoms, the national inscription, and the Taishō-era date. Japan's official historical table identifies this as the reverse.

Historical Context

Japan Mint's institutional history records a 1916 reduction in the diameter and weight of the 1 Sen and 5 Rin bronze denominations. The 1916 1 Sen begins this smaller paulownia bronze type during the Taishō era.

Orientation & Artwork Note

Coin-catalogue obverse/reverse conventions are not uniform: the Bank of Japan's official table and Numista apply opposite side labels. Descriptive side names above avoid ambiguity. No third-party coin photograph, logo, valuation chart or catalogue illustration is reproduced on this page.

04 ISSUE & MINTAGE

Issue Information

Calendar Year1916
Japanese DateTaishō 5 (大正五年)
Reported Mintage19,193,946 coins [Numista; secondary]
Mintage SourceNumista N#5434, year-specific listing
Japan Mint Mintage VerificationPending — no 1916 production-count primary record located
Legal Tender End Date31 December 1953 [Bank of Japan]

The reported mintage of 19,193,946 is attributed to Numista, not Japan Mint. Japan Mint history establishes the 1916 design and physical-standard change, while the Bank of Japan provides the official type specifications; neither consulted official record directly confirms the year-specific mintage total.

05 COLLECTION RECORD

Archive Information

Archive IDJP-1S-1916-TAISHO-KIRI
Coin Codejp1s16t
QR Short Codejp1s16t
QR Short URLhttps://metacoinart.com/q/jp1s16t
Canonical Path/world-coins/japan/1-sen/1916-1924-taisho/1916/
Catalogue Cross-checkNumista N#5434 · Y#42 · JNDA#01-48
Archive StatusDocumented; official annual mintage verification pending
06 SOURCES & REFERENCES

References

01 — PRIMARY OFFICIAL HISTORICAL SOURCE

Japan Mint — 150 Years of History

Institutional history records the reduction of diameter and weight of the 1 Sen and 5 Rin bronze coinage in Taishō 5 (1916). Used for historical type context; this record does not establish the annual mintage quantity.

Open reference

02 — OFFICIAL COIN-SPECIFICATION SOURCE

Bank of Japan — Currency Museum: Coins since the Meiji Era

Official historical issue table (PDF, page 2), identifying this 1916 1 Sen bronze type, its alloy composition, 23.03 mm diameter, 3.75 g weight, design sides and legal tender expiry.

Open reference

03 — SECONDARY NUMISMATIC CROSS-CHECK

Numista — Japan 1 Sen, Taishō (N#5434)

Secondary catalogue cross-check for the 1916 annual mintage (19,193,946), circa 1 mm thickness, denomination, type and catalogue identifiers. The 1916 quantity is not presented as Japan Mint-verified.

Open reference

04 — INDEPENDENT MUSEUM SPECIMEN

National Museum of Taiwan History — 1916 Japan 1 Sen (accession 2004.052.0050)

Institutional record of an example dated Taishō 5. Reported specimen weight differs from the official nominal weight and is not used to redefine the coin's standard.

Open reference

Independent research archive. ALL THAT CURRENCY is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Japan Mint, Bank of Japan, or Numista. External websites are linked only as identified references.