Japan

Japan's first formal currency system was the Kōchōsen, exemplified by the adoption of Japan's first official coin type, the Wadokaichin. It was first minted in 708 CE on order of Empress Genmei, Japan's 43rd Imperial ruler. Over the millennium, Japan’s coinage has become more and more beautiful and elaborate, culminating in the astonishingly beautiful pieces of the late 19th century...