Item number: A2299

Year: AD 1863-1869

Material: Copper

Size: 27.0 x 26.8 x 0.8 mm

Weight: 3.9 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is a Bunkyū Eihō coin minted during the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate, bearing the era name used by Emperor Kōmei. Its production spanned from Bunkyū 3 to Meiji 2 (AD 1863 to 1869).

The Bunkyū Eihō was the last centrally issued coin by the Tokugawa shogunate to adopt the traditional Chinese-style square-holed design. On the obverse, the inscription “文久永寶” (Bunkyū Eihō) is engraved in cursive script (kaishu) following the traditional top–bottom–right–left order. The reverse side features a wave pattern motif, characteristic of Edo-period aesthetics.

The Bunkyū Eihō coins can be broadly categorised into three types based on the calligraphy style on the obverse: regular script (kaisho), cursive script (sōsho), and the so-called Gyokuhō style. These calligraphic styles were each contributed by senior officials of the Tokugawa shogunate: Ogasawara Nagamichi, lord of Karatsu Domain (regular script); Itakura Katsushige, lord of Matsuyama Domain (cursive script); and Matsudaira Shungaku, lord of Echizen Domain (Gyokuhō style).

The regular script type was minted by the Kinza (Gold Mint), while the other two types were produced by the Ginza (Silver Mint), with the cursive script variety being the most widely issued.

Emperor Kōmei reigned from AD 1846 to AD 1867, a period marked by increasing pressure from Western powers following the arrival of Commodore Perry. Throughout his reign, Emperor Kōmei strongly supported the policy of expelling foreign influence (jōi) and upheld the legitimacy of the Tokugawa shogunate. However, with his death in AD 1867, the authority of the shogunate was significantly weakened. His son, Emperor Meiji, ascended the throne and soon emerged as a sovereign with actual political power, leading Japan into a period of rapid modernisation and reform known as the Meiji Restoration.

物件編號: A2299

年代: 公元 1863-1869 年

材質: 紅銅

尺寸: 27.0 x 26.8 x 0.8 mm

重量: 3.9 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚日本江戶幕府末年，以孝明天皇使用的年號鑄造的「文久永寶」，其鑄造時間橫跨文久3年至明治2年 (公元1863至1869年)。

文久永寶是日本歷史上，最後一款幕府中央仿效中國方孔錢造型的錢幣。錢幣正面按照上、下、右、左的順序，以漢字草書鐫刻「文久永寶」四字。錢幣背面則是極具江戶特色的波浪紋飾作為裝飾。

文久永寶按照正面的書法，大致能分成楷書、草書和玉寶三種類別。書法分別出自幕府的中央閣員：唐津藩主小笠原長行(楷書)、松山藩主板倉勝靜(草書) 和越前藩主松平春嶽(玉寶)。楷書的版型由金座負責鑄造，另外兩種版型則由銀座生產，鑄造量以草書為大宗。

孝明天皇在位的時間為公元1846至1867年，其統治期間恰好遇到培里以來的西方列強衝擊。孝明天皇在對外關係上，強烈支持攘夷的主張並且支持德川幕府。然而隨著孝明天皇的駕崩，德川幕府的正統性受到挑戰，兒子明治成為重新獲得實權的天皇，並且帶領日本走向現代化的改革道路。