By: John Veltmeyer
Japan’s current prefecture system was established by the Meiji government in July 1871. Although there were initially over 300 prefectures, this number was reduced to 72 in the latter part of 1871, and 47 in 1888. The local autonomy law of 1947 gave more political power to prefectures, and installed prefectural governors and parliaments.
The reverse is common to all the bi-metal coins in this series and features a replica of a Japanese Yen coin, with the following inscription around the outside “Japan 47 Prefectures Coin Program 500 Yen”
Note the “20” in the
lower right quadrant of the coin – this represents the date of minting
the
coin. The date is in the Japanese format and is written with the name
of the
reigning emperor followed by the years of his reign and the kanji
character for
“year”.
In the pictured example,
Emperor Akihito is the reigning emperor; and the 20 is the number of
years of
his reign when the coin was issued – 08-01-1989 to when the coin was
issued in
2008. However, the first year of each era is always referred to as
GANNEN,
meaning the first year of the era. For example, the first year of
Akihito is
called Akihito Gannen instead of Akihito 1. The year number 1 is never
used to
indicate the first year of an era.
According to Japanese
legend, Emperor Akihito, is Japan’s 125th imperial
sovereign in an unbroken line from emperor Jimmu, who ascended the
throne in
about 660BC. Japan has the world’s oldest existing hereditary monarchy.
Each coin is presented in an official Japan Mint Display Card.
HOKKAIDO
Hokkaido is the first prefecture to be honoured in this series.
• Hokkaido is Japan’s
second largest island and the northern most of the prefectures.
• The name Hokkaido
literally means “North Sea Circuit” and the island has gone by the
names of
Ezo, Yezo, Yeso or Yesso in the past.
• The island is thought to
have been inhabited as far as twenty thousand years ago and has been
mentioned
in Japans’ second oldest book of historical reference, the Nihon Shoki
(the
Chronicles of Japan)
• Featured on the obverse
is a depiction of the former Hokkaido government office building
located in the
capital city of Sapporo with a background made up of Lake Toya and
mountains
and a foreground of foliage.
• The prefecture name is
also on this side in both English and Japanese characters.
KYOTO
• The Kyoto prefecture is
located on the island of Honshu in the Kinki region of Japan.
• It is found near the
middle of Japan and is separated by a mountain range producing
different
climates in the north and south.
• The city of Kyoto was
once the imperial capital of Japan and was known to have been
established as
early as the 6th century.
• The Kyoto prefecture is
the 31st
in
size in Japan.
• The obverse design of
this bi-metal coin features a re-creation of a scene from the famous
Japanese
picture scroll of “The Tale of Genji”, now located in the National
Museum of
Japan. The image, from scene 2 of chapter 49, shows a man and a woman
in
traditional Japanese attire.
• The coin itself was
issued also to honour the millennial anniversary of the picture scroll.
SHIMANE
A unique, intriguing type, the third issue in the Japan Mint’s prefecture 500 yen bi-metal series honours the Simane prefecture.
• The Shimane prefecture is
located on the island of Honshu in the Chigoku region of Japan and has
a
history dating back to Shinto mythology.
• It is the second least
populous prefecture in Japan with just under 800,000 residents.
• The obverse of the coin
is graced with a detailed design which depicts an official Japanese
archaeological treasure (a ritual bronze bell-shaped vessel, inscribed
with
patterns and pictograms, from the Yayoi period 500BC-300AD) found at
the Kamo
Iwakura site in Shimane’s Unnan City in 1996. Around the central image
of the
bell-shaped vessel on the coin are reproductions of the pictograms.
IBARAKI
On the obverse is an
image of Kairakuen Garden and a Plum Tree (also known as the Japanese
Apricot
tree). “Kairikuen Garden” is located in Mito city in Ibraki prefecture
and is
known as one of the three famous traditional gardens in Japan. It was
created
in 1842 and is famous for plum blossom viewing.
GIFU
Gifu is the
9th
prefecture to be honoured in the series.
Gifu is located in the
Chubu region of central Japan. It has long played an important part as
the
crossraods of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such
routes as the
Nakasendō. During the Sengoku period, many people referred to Gifu by
saying, "control
Gifu and you control Japan."
Featured on the obverse
is an image showing the historic village of Shirakawago (UNESCO World
Heritage
Site) and astragalus flowers (Gifu’s prefectural flower). The
traditional style
of these houses is adapted to the natural environment in Shirakawa,
which is
often hit by heavy snowfalls in Winter.
AICHI
The 11th prefecture to be honoured in the series is Aichi.
Aichi is located in the
Tokai region of the Chūbu region and was originally known as Nagoya
Prefecture.
Aichi was divided into the three provinces of Owari, Mikawa and Ho. It
was
renamed to Aichi Prefecture in April 1872.
The Expo 2005 World
Exposition was held in the Aichi Prefecture.
The obverse design
features images of the Main Building of the Aichi Prefectural
Government,
together with a Rabbit-ear Iris. The Main Building of the Aichi
Prefectural
Government is famous for its mixed style of western architecture and
the
eastern castled roof.
AOMORI
The 12th prefecture to be honoured in the series is the Aomori Prefecture.
The Aomori Prefecture came into existence in 1871, with the town of Aomori being established in 1889. The town became a city in 1898 with a population of 28,000 - the city now has a population of over 300,000. Aomori Prefecture is the northernmost prefecture on Honshū and faces Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait. It borders Akita and Iwate in the south. Oma, a town with a population of 5,950, at the northwestern tip of the axe-shaped Shimokita Peninsula, is the northernmost point of Honshū.
Featuring the restored
model of an ancient building of Sannai-Maruyama Site of the Jomon
Period
(c.5,500-4,000 years ago) as well as the "goggle-eyed type" clay
figurine from Kamegaoka Site of the Final Jomon Period (c.3,000- 2,300
years
ago) and the "praying-hands type" clay figurine from Kazahari 1 site
of the late Jomon Period (c.3,500-3,000 years ago).
SAGA
Saga is the 13th prefecture to be celebrated in the 47 Prefectures of Japan coin series.
Saga Prefecture is
located in the northwest part of the island of Kyūshū, Japan.
It touches both the Sea
of Japan and the Ariake Sea. The western part of the prefecture is a
region
famous for producing ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of
Karatsu,
Imari, and Arita. The capital is the city of Saga.
The obverse design shows
Okuma Shigenobu who was a very active politician and educator from the
late
19th century to the early 20th century, and he actually became the 8th
and 17th
prime minister. It is said that he was also involved in the
introduction of the
Japanese currency unit "Yen". Furthermore, he contributed to
introduce Saga's traditional crafts such as Imari-Arita Ware, Saga
Nishiki (a
classic hand-woven fabric) and Kashima Nishiki to the overseas market.
TOYAMA
The 14th prefecture to be honored in the series, Toyama.
Toyama is a prefecture of
Japan located in the Hokuriku region on Honshū island. The capital is
the city
of Toyama. Toyama is the leading industrial prefecture on the Japan Sea
coast,
and has the industrial advantage of cheap electricity due to abundant
water
resources.
Owara Kaze-no-bon
Festival, a traditional local festival is held in Toyama Prefecture
every
September and is pictured on the obverse of the coin.
Participants in the
festival wish for moderate winds and a good harvest in autumn. Male and
female
dancers performing different styles of dancing, wear woven hats low
over their
eyes and dance to local folk songs in the midst of rows of thousands of
paper
lanterns.
TOTTORI
The 15th prefecture to be honoured in the series is Tottori.
Tottori Prefecture is
located in the Chūgoku region. The capital is the city of Tottori. It
is the
least populous prefecture in Japan. The word "Tottori" originates
from the characters meaning "bird" (鳥) and "to
get" (取), as early residents in the
area made
their living catching the region's plentiful waterfowl.
Shown on the obverse is
Mitokusan Sanbutsuji Temple Nageiredo Hall. It is a unique
architectural work,
built on the cliffside around the late eleventh century, and is
designated as a
national treasure.
KUMAMOTO
The 16th prefecture to be honoured in the series, Kumamoto.
Kumamoto is a prefecture
of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.
Historically the area was called Higo Province; and the province was
renamed
Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was
part of
the abolition of the feudal system. The current Japanese orthography
for
Kumamoto literally means "bear root/origin", or "origin of the
bear".
Featured on the obverse
is an image of Kumamoto Castle, built in 1607. The castle is famous for
its
stone wall featuring a graceful curved line. The stone wall becomes
steeper as
it ascends in order to stop enemies from entering.