Item number: A1618

Year: AD 1368-1398

Material: Copper

Size: 22.9 x 23.0 x 1.1 mm

Weight: 2.75 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2014

During the Muromachi period in Japan, the Shimazu clan of Ōsumi Province in Kyushu minted imitation Hongwu Tongbao trade coins modelled after those issued by the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, who cast coins bearing his reign title for commercial exchange with Ming China.

The obverse side of the coin follows the Chinese-style square-holed design, with the characters Hongwu Tongbao inscribed in sequence from top, bottom, right, to left. On the reverse side, the upper portion bears a faintly outlined character “治.” Among the imitation Hongwu Tongbao coins minted by the Shimazu clan, there are three known reverse variations featuring the characters “加,” “治,” and “木.”

From the Nanboku-chō period to the Muromachi shogunate, Chinese copper coins served as legal tender in Japan. As a result, these coins became the most sought-after commodity among Japanese merchants engaging in tributary trade with China, yielding profits of three to four times their value and, in some cases, even allowing for direct exchange with gold. After Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming dynasty, he imposed restrictions on the scale of Japan’s tributary missions and further prohibited the circulation of foreign currencies within China. In response, the Shimazu clan of Kyushu, which maintained close commercial ties with the Ming, minted imitations of Chinese coins, known colloquially as Kajiki-sen (加治木錢) Hongwu Tongbao, to facilitate trade with Ming China.

物件編號: A1618

年代: 公元 1368-1398 年

材質: 紅銅

尺寸: 22.9 x 23.0 x 1.1 mm

重量: 2.75 g

來源: 大城郵幣社 2014

這是日本室町幕府時代，位於九州大隅國的島津氏為了跟明朝貿易，仿造明朝開國皇帝朱元璋以其年號鑄造的「洪武通寶」貿易錢。

錢幣正面為仿效中國的方孔錢，錢幣正面按上、下、右、左的順序，依序鐫刻漢字「洪武通寶」。錢幣背面的上側有一個輪廓顯得模糊的「治」，島津氏仿造的洪武通寶在背面有「加、治、木」三個不同的版本。

日本在南北朝到室町幕府時代，來自中國的銅錢是日本法定流通的貨幣，因此中國銅錢成為赴華朝貢的日本商人最受歡迎的商品，其利潤能達到三至四倍，甚至能以黃金兌換銅錢。朱元璋創立明朝之後，對於日本的朝貢規模多有限制，加之明朝又規定不得在國內使用外國錢幣，因此和明朝有密切商貿往來的九州島津氏便仿效中國錢幣，鑄造俗成「加治木錢」的洪武通寶用以跟明朝之間的貿易。