Item number: A2876

Year: AD 1859-1868

Material: Silver

Size: 15.2 x 8.8 x 1.2 mm

Weight: 1.95 g

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2020

This is a small silver ingot with a face value of “1 Bu Gin,” minted by the Tokugawa shogunate at the Ginza Mint starting in Ansei 6 (AD 1859).

The silver ingot is decorated with a border of raised pellet-like dots. At the centre of the obverse, the vertically arranged inscription “一朱銀” (1 Bu Gin) is stamped in classical Japanese kanji. On the reverse, the upper portion bears an incuse seal reading “定” (jō), indicating that the ingot’s quality was officially certified under the supervision of an authorised Jōze official. Along the lower edge, additional stamps denote the minting location as Ginza and identify the hereditary artisan responsible for its production as Daikoku Jōze (also rendered Tsuneze), a craftsman exclusively charged with manufacturing such silver ingots.

The district name “Ginza” originated from the Ginza Yakusho, a governmental office established during the Edo period. In AD 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Edo Shogunate, relocated the silver coin mint from Sunpu to its current location in Ginza 2-Chome. Initially designated as Shin-ryogae-cho (“new money exchange town”), it eventually became colloquially known as “Ginza.” The Ginza personnel gathered to handle official duties such as procuring silver bullion or submitting silver coins to the Shogunate. Concurrently, the location for gold dealings, known as “Kinza,” was situated at the present site of the Bank of Japan head office in Nihonbashi.

Due to its exclusive rights in handling silver, the Ginza Yakusho generated substantial profits, leading to prosperity among its bureaucrats, albeit marred by instances of bribery. In 1800, following various corruption cases, Ginz operations were relocated to Kakigara-cho in Nihonbashi; however, the name Ginza persisted.

Ginza also housed “Shuza” (for cinnabar handling), “Obanza” (authorized to mint gold coins for ceremonial use), and “Fundoza” (producing standard weights and storing ingots for coin production).

The title “Daikoku Jōze” can be traced back to AD 1601 when Tokugawa Ieyasu bestowed this name upon Yuasa Sakubei, a silversmith from Nanryoza in Sakai, Izumi. The name “Jōze” had been conferred upon silversmiths from Nanryoza in Sakai by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

The Jōze was responsible for stamping and enveloping chogin and mameita gin. These enveloped silver coins were called Jōzetsutsumi(常是包), distinguishing them from envelopes used by money changers. Jōze distinguished himself from the Ginza personnel and identified as the Ginza Sochu. Stamped with marks like “Daikoku,” “Jōze,” or “Takara” by Jōze, the cast ingots underwent rigorous testing for fineness through sampling supervised by Jōze.

物件編號: A2876

年代: 公元 1859-1868 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 15.2 x 8.8 x 1.2 mm

重量: 1.95 g

來源: 福君錢幣 2020

這是一枚從安政6年 (公元1859年) 起，日本江戶幕府於銀座鑄造的面額「一朱銀」小銀錠。

銀錠周圍以環繞的珠點作為裝飾，正面的中央以日本漢字打印直書的「一朱銀」三字。銀錠背面上側有一個陰印的「定」，表明其品質由具備官方身分的常是（Jōze）監督。下緣則標示鑄造地點「銀座」和專責製作銀錠的世襲工匠「大黒常是」（Daikoku Jōze / Tsuneze）的戳記。

銀座地區的名稱源自江戶時代成立的銀座役所。公元1603年，江戶幕府創始人德川家康將銀幣鑄造廠從駿府遷至現今的銀座二丁目。最初名為新両替町（新貨幣交換鎮），後來俗稱為「銀座」。銀座負責處理採購銀錠或向幕府遞交銀幣等官方職務。與此同時，金錢交易地點「金座」位於現今日本橋的日本銀行總部所在地。由於獨佔銀錠處理權，銀座役所賺取了可觀的利潤，使其官員富有，儘管偶有賄賂案件。公元1800年，由於多起貪污案件，銀座運營被遷至日本橋的柿木莊，但「銀座」名稱仍舊存在。銀座還設有「朱座」（用於丹砂處理）、「御番座」（授權製造儀式用金幣）和「分銅座」（生產標準重量和存放錠塊以製造銀幣）。

「大黒常是」的稱號可以追溯到公元1601年，當時德川家康授予了這個名字給來自泉州堺南料座的銀匠湯浅作兵衛。「常是」名稱最早由豐臣秀吉授予給堺南料座的銀匠。常是在銀座役所的職責是負責蓋章和封裝丁銀和豆銀。這些封裝的銀幣稱為「常是包」，以區別於錢幣兌換商的信封。常是（Jōze）與銀座人員區分開來，自稱為銀座總處。由常是刻有「大黒」、「常是」或「寶」標誌的鑄銀錠代表其通過常是對品質的嚴格測試。