1 Mon 'Wadōkaichin' old type, silver

The Wadōkaichín — Japan's first officially minted coinage — was ordered by Empress Genmei in 708 following the discovery of copper deposits in Musashi Province, the name itself meaning "Japanese copper." Silver strikes preceded the copper issues, almost certainly minted first as prestige pieces for court distribution rather than as functional currency. Genuine examples are extraordinarily rare; the overwhelming majority of specimens in circulation today are either later imitations or outright forgeries, a problem documented since at least the Edo period.

DHJ#1.1 and #1.3 represent distinct die classifications within the silver series, differences detectable primarily in the rim treatment and casting flow patterns.