CoinWeek Giveaway # 659 Sponsored by…CoinWeek Giveaway: Samurai-Era Silver From the Last Days of Old Japan

Long before Japan adopted the yen, its people carried money that looked nothing like a modern coin. This week’s CoinWeek Giveaway takes us to the final decades of the Tokugawa shogunate with a Japan Tenpō Ichibugin Silver 1 Bu, one of the most distinctive silver issues of the Edo period.

Rectangular, remarkably pure, and steeped in history, the Tenpō Ichibugin circulated as Japan approached one of the greatest economic and political upheavals in its history.

Silver Money in a Troubled Japan

The Tokugawa shogunate introduced the Tenpō Ichibugin during a difficult era. Japan had suffered through the Tenpō Famine of the 1830s, while economic pressure and social unrest challenged the government.

The Tenpō Ichibugin entered circulation on January 13, 1838. One bu equaled one-quarter of a ryō, so four Ichibugin represented one ryō.

Unlike the round coins familiar to American collectors, the Ichibugin takes the form of a small rectangular silver bar. It weighs about 8.66 grams, measures approximately 23 x 16.5 mm, and contains an impressive .991 fine silver.

That purity would soon play an unexpected role in Japan’s collision with the global economy.

Cherry Blossoms and the Ginza Mint

The Ichibugin’s design gives collectors plenty to study.

One side carries the characters associated with the Ginza silver mint and the hereditary mint official Jōze, together with the character Jō, which indicated the government guarantee. The opposite side displays 一分銀, meaning “One Bu Silver.”

Twenty small sakura, or cherry blossoms, frame each side. One blossom appears inverted, creating varieties that specialists can identify by its position.

The Ginza connection also survives in modern Tokyo. The Tokugawa government established its silver-coin operation in the district in 1612. Eventually, the name of that government silver office became the name of Ginza, today one of Tokyo’s most famous shopping districts.

When Japan’s Silver Became a Global Opportunity

Then everything changed.

Japan signed commercial treaties with Western powers in 1858, and treaty-port commerce expanded in 1859. Foreign merchants quickly recognized a huge difference between Japan’s domestic gold-to-silver ratio and the international market.

The Bank of Japan’s Currency Museum illustrates the opportunity clearly. A trader could exchange four foreign silver dollars for 12 Ichibu Gin, trade those for three gold koban, and then exchange the gold abroad for silver worth roughly 12 foreign dollars. Japan consequently suffered a major outflow of gold.

The shogunate responded with new coinage. The Ansei Ichibugin, introduced in 1859, contained about 87% silver rather than the Tenpō issue’s .991 fineness.

A Survivor From the Samurai Era

The Meiji government transformed Japan’s monetary system after the shogunate collapsed. In 1871, it adopted the yen, sen, and rin and began producing modern Western-style coinage. However, older Edo-period money initially continued to circulate as the new system took hold.

That history gives the Tenpō Ichibugin an appeal far beyond its silver content.

It represents the economic world of the samurai, the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan’s encounter with Western trade, and the monetary crisis that helped close one era and usher in another.

And now, one CoinWeek reader will have the chance to add a genuine piece of that remarkable history to their collection.

Good luck!

Coin Specifications

• Country: Japan
• Period: Tokugawa Shogunate, Edo Period
• Denomination: 1 Bu
• Type: Tenpō Ichibugin
• Issue Period: 1837–1854
• Composition: .991 Silver
• Weight: Approximately 8.66 grams
• Dimensions: Approximately 23 x 16.5 mm
• Shape: Rectangular
• Value: 1/4 Ryō

Entries into our Contest are accepted from Sept. 19th until 8 AM on Saturday Sept. 26th, 2026

Links to Entry Forms,  Extra Entry Options and Terms are Below

The CoinWeek Giveaway is open to all US Citizens 18 yrs and older. Just submit your Email Address into the Entry Form – CLICK HERE, and you will recieve One entry into the Giveaway. Good luck and enjoy the contest! Get up to 6 Extra Entries into this week’s Giveaway……. Follow the Links below. NOTE: ALL Entry pages and Options links  OPEN in new windows, so once you have finished your entry, just close the tab and you will return to this Main Giveaway Page to continue selecting additional Entry opportunities !

Do you want to get additional enties to this weeks contest? Just go to our Facebook Page and find the CoinWeek Giveway announcement. Click on the “LIKE Button” and get 1 extra entry.  If you choose to Add A Comment, you will receive an additional extra entry into the Giveaway. That’s  all there is to it. More Chances to win !

Remember: Close the Entry Window Tab in your browser and you will return to the Giveaway Home page

We have another way to recieve additional entries to the CoinWeek Giveaway.  Just go to the CoinWeek website and browse ANY of the articles we have on the Home page. Open and read the any article then place a comment at the bottom of the page. You will recieve an additional 4 entries into the CoinWeek Giveaway for the current giveaway. Note:  You need to stay on the CoinWeek site for at least a minute. In order for us to record your entry and comment, we need enough time to verify the additional entries. Thanks!

Sign up for SMS and we will text you with the latest Rare Coin News, Special Offers,  Discounts, and More……..  It is 100% free, and you can cancel at any time.

Sign Up for our FREE TEXT Message Alerts. and Get 5 EXTRA enties into EVERY Giveaway  as long as you remain an SMS subscriber

PLUS: You are automatically entered into Special CoinWeek MEMBER ONLY Quarterly Giveaways that will be announced via Text Message Only! This will be FUN!

Finally, CoinWeek offers 8 Different Newsletters you can subscribe to.  Go To The Newsletter Signup Form, select which newsletter topic(s) you are interested in and Subscribe.

Newsletters include: Auctions, US Coins, Ancient Coins, World Coins, Bullion & Precious Metals, Paper Money, New Coin Releases, and the Generic Mailing List.

For each Newsletter you select, CoinWeek will give to an Additional Giveaway Entry automatically, EVERY WEEK you remain a subscriber. No need to re-subscribe unless you wish to change or add new newsletters

Note:  Newsletters are sent every two weeks unless there is a special reason to send a special announcement or breaking news event specific to the newsletter topic.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. MAKING A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW……
Read ALL the Rules, Terms and Conditions of the Giveaway Here.

If you have signup for extra enties, made comments, read articles and joined Newsletters, Why does the main entry form just show One Entry?    Here is the answer !….. Extra Entries – How are they recorded ?

To see a list of the Names and states of most of the Past Winners of the CoinWeek Givaway , along with the coins and paper money that has have given away. For over 11 years CoinWeek has held the free coin giveaway weekly, bring new classic and interesting Ancient, World and US Coins and currency to our readers. Click Here to view the list

NOTE: DO NOT RESPOND TO ANY WINNER NOTICE FROM FACEBOOK MESSENGER, or anyone asking you to call them or click on a link they send you.   

ALL COINWEEK GIVEAWAY WINNERS are ONLY contacted with the email you used to enter the Giveaway

If you are contacted by anyone Pretending to be CoinWeek, or Asking for Payments or Friend Requests  please email us at security@CoinWeek.com and send us a copy of any communications you have received.