5 yen coin


The 5 yen coin is one denomination of Japanese yen. The current design was first minted in 1959 using Japanese characters known as the "new script", and were also minted from 1948–1958 using "old-script" Japanese characters. Five-yen coins date to 1870. The modern-day coin was first produced in 1948 with a different styled inscription. This was changed in 1959 and the design has remained unchanged since.
The front of the coin depicts a rice plant growing out of the water, with "five yen" written in kanji; the back is stamped with "Japan" and the year of issue, also in kanji, separated by sprouts of a tree. The three graphic elements of the coin represent agriculture and fisheries, the key elements of the Japanese first-sector economy. Around a hole, there is a gear that represents industry. It is the only Japanese coin in circulation to lack Hindu-Arabic numerals on either face.

Cultural significance

The Japanese for "five yen," go en is a homophone with go-en, "en" being a word for causal connection or relationship, and "go" being a respectful prefix. As a result, five-yen coins are commonly given as donations at Shinto shrines with the intention of establishing a good connection with the deity of the shrine, and is widely believed it is best to insert a single five-yen coin into a new wallet before inserting any other money.

Use in nuclear accident investigation

Following the nuclear accident at Tokai, Ibaraki in 1999, physicists Masuchika Kohno and Yoshinobu Koizumi showed how this coin could be used to estimate neutron dosage to the surrounding population, by measuring its zinc isotope ratios. They write:
They concluded that the coin could offer information about the total neutron effect during the accident, and about shielding by modern Japanese houses, given that the coins were recovered from indoors.

Composition

Circulation figures

Meiji

The following are circulation figures for the coins that were minted between the 3rd, and the 45th and last year of Meiji's reign. Coins for this period all begin with the Japanese symbol 明治. One yen trade dollars and/or patterns are not included here.
"Year" ← "Number representing year of reign" ← "Emperor's name"
Year of reignJapanese dateGregorian dateMintage
03 3rd三1870
04 4th四187100 Unknown
05 5th五1872
06 6th六1873
07 7th七1874
08 8th八1875
09 9th九1876
10th十1877
11th一十1878
13th三十1880
14th四十1881
15th五十1882
16th六十1883
17th七十1884
18th八十1885
19th九十1886
20th十二1887
21st一十二1888
22nd二十二1889
23rd三十二1890
24th四十二1891
25th五十二1892
26th六十二1893
27th七十二1894
28th八十二1895
29th九十二1896
30th十三1897
30th十三1897
31st一十三1898
36th六十三1903
44th四十四1911
45th五十四1912

Taishō

The following are circulation figures for the coins that were minted during the 2nd and 13th year of Taishō's reign. Coins from this period all begin with the Japanese symbol 大正.
Year of reignJapanese dateGregorian dateMintage
2nd二191389,820
13th三十192476,037

Shōwa

The following are circulation dates which cover Emperor Hirohito's reign. The dates below correspond with the 23rd to the 64th year of his reign. All five yen coins that were made before 1959 use kyūjitai, or old script Japanese. In 1949 only, two different styles of writing were used before a more modern one was established in 1950. This second style of writing was used until 1958 when the current script of Japanese took its place in the following year. Coins for this period will all begin with the Japanese symbol 昭和.
Year of reignJapanese dateGregorian dateMintage
05 5th五1930 852,563
23rd二十三194874,520,000
24th二十四1949 179,692,000
24th二十四1949 111,896,000
25th二十五1950181,824,000
26th二十六1951197,980,000
27th二十七195255,000,000
28th二十八195345,000,000
32nd三十二195710,000,000
33rd三十三1958 50,000,000
34th三十四1959 33,000,000
35th三十五196034,800,000
36th三十六196161,000,000
37th三十七1962126,700,000
38th三十八1963171,800,000
39th三十九1964379,700,000
40th四十1965384,200,000
41st四十一1966163,100,000
42nd四十二196726,000,000
43rd四十三1968114,000,000
44th四十四1969240,000,000
45th四十五1970340,000,000
46th四十六1971362,050,000
47th四十七1972562,950,000
48th四十八1973745,000,000
49th四十九1974950,000,000
50th五十1975970,000,000
51st五十一1976200,000,000
52nd五十二1977340,000,000
53rd五十三1978318,000,000
54th五十四1979317,000,000
55th五十五1980385,000,000
56th五十六198195,000,000
57th五十七1982455,000,000
58th五十八1983410,000,000
59th五十九1984202,850,000
60th六十1985153,150,000
61st六十一1986113,960,000
62nd六十二1987631,775,000
63rd六十三1988396,120,000
64th六十四198967,332,000

Heisei

The following are circulation dates in the reign of the current Emperor Emeritus. Akihito was crowned in 1989, which is marked with a 元 symbol on the coin as a one year type. Coins for this period all begin with the Japanese symbol 平成.
Year of reignJapanese dateGregorian dateMintage
1st元1989960,660,000
2nd二1990520,953,000
3rd三1991517,120,000
4th四1992301,130,000
5th五1993413,240,000
6th六1994197,767,000
7th七1995351,874,000
8th八1996207,213,000
9th九1997239,086,000
10th十1998172,612,000
11th十一199960,120,000
12th十二20009,030,000
13th十三200178,025,000
14th十四2002143,662,000
15th十五2003102,406,000
16th十六200470,903,000
17th十七200516,029,000
18th十八20069,594,000
19th十九20079,904,000
20th二十20089,811,000
21st二十一20094,003,000
22nd二十二2010510,000
23rd二十三2011456,000
24th二十四2012659,000
25th二十五2013554,000
26th二十六201487,538,000
27th二十七2015105,004,000
28th二十八201635,064,000
29th二十九201733,927,000
30th三十201817,960,000
31st三十一201916,946,000

Reiwa

The following are circulation dates in the reign of the current Emperor. Naruhito's accession to the Crysanthemum Throne took place on May 1, 2019 and he was formally enthroned on October 22, 2019. Coins for this period all begin with the Japanese symbol 令和. The inaugural year coin was marked 元 and debuted during the summer of that year.
Year of reignJapanese dateGregorian dateMintage
1st元201920,574,000
2nd二2020TBD