100-Yen Coin Day

What Is 100-Yen Coin Day?

December 11th is "100-Yen Coin Day" in Japan. It marks December 11, 1957, when the 100-yen coin was issued for the first time. Until then, 100 yen circulated as a banknote bearing the portrait of Taisuke Itagaki; this was the first time it took the form of a coin.

The First 100-Yen Coin Was Silver

The coin that appeared in 1957 was also the first silver coin issued in postwar Japan.

• Issued: December 11, 1957
• Composition: 60% silver, 30% copper, 10% zinc -- a high denomination for a coin at the time
• Design: a phoenix on the obverse, the rising sun and cherry blossoms on the reverse
• Diameter: 22.6 mm, the same as today's coin

From Phoenix to Rice Ears to Cherry Blossoms

The design changed twice in a short span. In 1959 the phoenix was replaced by ears of rice, though the coin remained silver. In 1967 the current version appeared, switching from silver to cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel) and adopting three cherry blossoms. The material changed because the price of silver had risen. Sources differ on which cherry variety today's coin depicts -- some say yamazakura (mountain cherry), others a double-flowered yaezakura.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Look at the 100-yen coins in your wallet and check their mint years
• Compare the plants and patterns on each denomination
• Sort out your loose change for the year-end and open the coin jar
• Think about how cashless payment has changed your use of coins

Always in Your Pocket, Rarely Looked At

Few people can say offhand what is engraved on a coin they handle every day. December 11th is a day to take a closer look at the one in your hand.