Wadō Kaichin was issued in 708, but archaeological evidence now makes “Japan's first coin” a more complicated claim. This article separates the dated issue, the surviving objects, and the older Fuhon question.
The Wadō Kaichin (和同開珎, also written Wadō Kaihō in some catalogues) is one of Japan's best-known early coins. It was issued in 708 during the reign of Empress Genmei, at the beginning of the Wadō era. The Tokyo National Museum describes the issue as Japan's first serious effort to mint coins for circulation, while the British Museum records both silver and bronze examples dated to 708.12
That wording matters. “First serious effort” describes a state-backed programme; it does not necessarily mean that no earlier coin-like issue existed.
What triggered the 708 issue?
The official account links the new era to copper presented to the court from Chichibu District in Musashi Province, in what is now Saitama. Japan's Cultural Heritage Online summarises the Shoku Nihongi tradition: the copper offering was the occasion for the coinage. The same record identifies a silver Wadō Kaichin as having been cast before the copper issue.3
The surviving chronology is more precise than the old one-line story suggests. The British Museum's catalogue notes that the office of the Master of the Mint was established in the second month of 708, silver Wadō Kaichin was produced in the fifth month, and copper coins followed in the eighth month. A scholarly study of early Japanese silver coinage also notes later restrictions on silver coins in 709–710.14
Timeline: from “first coin” to a wider minting programme
| Date | What the evidence says | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Before 700 | Fuhon coins excavated at Asukaike were made earlier than Wadō Kaichin, although their precise role remains uncertain. | The “first Japanese coin” label is no longer simple.7 |
| 708 | Copper from Musashi is recorded; the mint office, silver issue, and copper issue follow during the Wadō era. | This is the dated beginning of the coinage programme described by the museum records. |
| 709–710 | A study of early Japanese silver records restrictions and an eventual prohibition on using silver coins. | The first issue was also an experiment in monetary policy. |
| 710–10th century | The Tokyo National Museum records further Nara and Heian issues, with minting ceasing by the latter half of the 10th century as imported Chinese bronze coins became prevalent. | Wadō Kaichin began a longer story; it was not the whole story of Japanese money. |
What do the characters and shape tell us?
Museum records describe the coin as a round copper or silver piece with a square central hole and four characters. The Smithsonian's copper example reads the inscription as Wa / Do / Kai / Chin and gives the gloss “Japanese Copper Initial Treasure.” The British Museum's silver example has the same four-character inscription, but also carries a stamped character on the reverse; its catalogue cautions that the stamp may be much later than the coin itself.15
The square-hole form places the issue within an East Asian cash-coin design tradition. The Smithsonian describes Wadō Kaichin as modelled on Tang-dynasty Kai Yuan Tong Bao coins. That resemblance is evidence of a visual and administrative model; it is not proof that every coin was accepted in the same way or used by every person in Japan.5
Two museum objects, not one “typical” coin
Individual surviving specimens are more informative than a generic product description, but they should not be mistaken for a complete statistical sample. These two records show why:
| Record | Material and measurements | What it can support |
|---|---|---|
| British Museum 1884,0511.17 | Silver; 23.50 mm diameter; 6.41 g; production date 708. | A documented silver example and its inscription. |
| Smithsonian NU.66.13378 | Copper; 23 mm diameter; 1 mm thick; production date 708. | A documented copper example and the Tang-style design connection. |
Those records do not establish a single standard weight for every Wadō Kaichin. They show that the 708 programme included at least silver and copper issues, and that catalogued examples vary in the measurements museums record.
So was it Japan's first coin?
The careful answer is: it was a securely dated imperial coinage programme, but not necessarily the first coin ever made in the Japanese archipelago. Archaeological evidence places Fuhon coins earlier, while the Tokyo National Museum describes Wadō Kaichin as the first serious effort to mint for circulation. These statements are compatible once “first coin” and “first substantial official programme” are kept separate.267
The older claim that Wadō Kaichin was made specifically to pay labourers building Heijō-kyō is best treated as historical interpretation, not as a demonstrated purpose of every piece. The British Museum guide presents it as the long-held view and immediately qualifies it with the newer Fuhon evidence. The surviving record supports a state minting initiative; it does not give us a payroll ledger for the coins in the ground.
Sources & References
- British Museum, object 1884,0511.17: silver Wadō kaichin — object data and catalogue commentary on the 708 silver and copper sequence.
- Tokyo National Museum, “Ancient Coins” — 708 issue, later Nara/Heian coinage, and the cessation of minting as imported Chinese coins became prevalent.
- Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Heritage Online: Wadō Kaichin — the Shoku Nihongi copper-offering tradition and the earlier silver issue.
- J-STAGE, “The Circulation of Plain Silver Coins and Early Japanese Coinage” — academic discussion of the 708 silver issue and 709–710 restrictions.
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History, object NU.66.13378 — copper example, inscription gloss, measurements, and Tang-model description.
- British Museum, Money Gallery Room 68 guide — the earlier Fuhon interpretation and the former labour-payment explanation.
- Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, “Asukaike Site” — excavation context, pre-700 production, and the remaining uncertainty around Fuhon coins.
Reviewed against these records on 27 August 2026. If a date, translation, measurement, or interpretation needs correction, please contact hello@cointoss.uk.