JAPAN – Morioka Domain – Silver 8 Momme
Boshin War Issue, March–August 1868
Obverse: Large incuse hatchi momme (“eight momme”) denomination at center, boldly counterstamped with the kanji kai (“revised”) within a circle, surrounded by six yu (“finance”) countermarks. These official marks confirm the piece’s authorization for circulation by the domain’s financial office.
Reverse: Large incuse yama character for Yamagata Province at center, again surrounded by six yu countermarks, reinforcing the official sanction and controlling authority over this emergency issue.
References: Hartill 9.92; KM 52; JNDA 9-73
Metal: Silver (AR) from the Kosaka Mine
Weight: 29.86 g (8 momme)
Format: Rectangular plate
Grade: PCGS AU58 — exceptional preservation with crisp countermarks, attractive tone, and minimal wear.
Collector’s Note:
Struck in the final months of the Tokugawa Shogunate, this emergency silver plate is a tangible relic of one of Japan’s most pivotal moments — the Boshin War (1868–1869). Issued by the Morioka Domain between March and August 1868, production averaged just 150 pieces per day, and circulation lasted only briefly before the conflict’s resolution and the sweeping reforms of the Meiji Restoration. Its silver was sourced from the Kosaka Mine, linking it directly to the economic lifeblood of northern Honshu. Today, this scarce issue is prized not only for its rarity but for its role as a wartime instrument of finance in Japan’s turbulent transition from feudal domain rule to a unified modern state. With sharp countermarks, a broad untrimmed flan, and near-Mint State preservation, this example stands among the finest survivors of a fleeting and historically rich coinage
JAPAN – Morioka Domain – Silver 8 Momme
Boshin War Issue, March–August 1868
Obverse: Large incuse hatchi momme (“eight momme”) denomination at center, boldly counterstamped with the kanji kai (“revised”) within a circle, surrounded by six yu (“finance”) countermarks. These official marks confirm the piece’s authorization for circulation by the domain’s financial office.
Reverse: Large incuse yama character for Yamagata Province at center, again surrounded by six yu countermarks, reinforcing the official sanction and controlling authority over this emergency issue.
References: Hartill 9.92; KM 52; JNDA 9-73
Metal: Silver (AR) from the Kosaka Mine
Weight: 29.86 g (8 momme)
Format: Rectangular plate
Grade: PCGS AU58 — exceptional preservation with crisp countermarks, attractive tone, and minimal wear.
Collector’s Note:
Struck in the final months of the Tokugawa Shogunate, this emergency silver plate is a tangible relic of one of Japan’s most pivotal moments — the Boshin War (1868–1869). Issued by the Morioka Domain between March and August 1868, production averaged just 150 pieces per day, and circulation lasted only briefly before the conflict’s resolution and the sweeping reforms of the Meiji Restoration. Its silver was sourced from the Kosaka Mine, linking it directly to the economic lifeblood of northern Honshu. Today, this scarce issue is prized not only for its rarity but for its role as a wartime instrument of finance in Japan’s turbulent transition from feudal domain rule to a unified modern state. With sharp countermarks, a broad untrimmed flan, and near-Mint State preservation, this example stands among the finest survivors of a fleeting and historically rich coinage
