Changes

*''Japanese'': 銀 ''(gin)''

*''Japanese'': 銀 ''(gin)''

Though used in Japan since nearly the earliest times, silver becomes particularly prominent in regional maritime trade and domestic concerns in the 16th-18th centuries.

Though used in Japan since nearly the earliest times, silver became particularly prominent in regional maritime trade and domestic concerns in the 16th-18th centuries.

Silver was a major export of Japan in the 16th-17th centuries, with Japanese silver mines being in fact one of the chief sources of silver in the world market at that time, alongside the mines at Potosi in Bolivia.<ref>[[Kobata Atsushi]], "Production and Uses of Gold and Silver in Sixteenth- and Seventeeth-Century Japan," ''The Economic History Review'', New Series, 18:2 (1965), 245-266.</ref> As silver was the chief means of payment for Chinese goods, it flowed out of the country in incredible amounts, via [[Chinese in Nagasaki|Chinese]] and [[VOC|Dutch]] merchants at [[Nagasaki]], and via the [[Tsushima han|Tsushima]]-[[Joseon|Korea]] and [[Satsuma han|Satsuma]]-[[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû]] trades. This considerable outflow became a major concern of the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] in the 17th century, and various steps were taken in efforts to reduce the outflow of silver while trying to avoid any downward impact upon the volume of imports of Chinese [[silk]].

Silver was a major export of Japan in the 16th-17th centuries, with Japanese silver mines being in fact one of the chief sources of silver in the world market at that time, alongside the mines at Potosi in Bolivia.<ref>[[Kobata Atsushi]], "Production and Uses of Gold and Silver in Sixteenth- and Seventeeth-Century Japan," ''The Economic History Review'', New Series, 18:2 (1965), 245-266.</ref> As silver was the chief means of payment for Chinese goods, it flowed out of the country in incredible amounts, via [[Chinese in Nagasaki|Chinese]] and [[VOC|Dutch]] merchants at [[Nagasaki]], and via the [[Tsushima han|Tsushima]]-[[Joseon|Korea]] and [[Satsuma han|Satsuma]]-[[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû]] trades. This considerable outflow became a major concern of the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] in the 17th century, and various steps were taken in efforts to reduce the outflow of silver while trying to avoid any downward impact upon the volume of imports of Chinese [[silk]]. In the end, even as Japanese mines bled dry, by the 1760s<ref>Robert Hellyer cites [[1764]] as the turning point. Hellyer, 73.</ref> Japan had successfully halted the outflow of silver from the country, chiefly through processes of import- & export-substitution, and began to in fact ''import'' gold and silver.

Throughout the Edo period, silver was measured chiefly by weight, not by coin, in everyday market interactions in [[Kamigata]] ([[Kansai]]), where it was the standard mode of [[currency]] ([[gold]] was more standard in [[Edo]]). The most common denomination of silver was a 43 ''[[Japanese Measurements|momme]]'' nugget called a ''chôgin''.<ref>[[Timon Screech]], ''Obtaining Images'', University of Hawaii Press (2012), 79.</ref>

Throughout the Edo period, silver was measured chiefly by weight, not by coin, in everyday market interactions in [[Kamigata]] ([[Kansai]]), where it was the standard mode of [[currency]] ([[gold]] was more standard in [[Edo]]). The most common denomination of silver was a 43 ''[[Japanese Measurements|momme]]'' nugget called a ''chôgin''.<ref>[[Timon Screech]], ''Obtaining Images'', University of Hawaii Press (2012), 79.</ref>

In [[1736]], the shogunate debased the coinage again, producing 46% silver ingots known as Genbun coins or Genbun ingots. As domestic production of [[ginseng]] and [[silk]] had grown considerably by this point, the shogunate decided it no longer needed to provide silver to Tsushima to support its trade in these goods, and so put an end to the domain's supply of 80% silver ingots. From that time forward, the domain gradually ceased exporting silver, switching to copper and other means of payment. Though later reporting that they had not exported any silver since 1736, [[uchi and omote|in truth]] they likely continued to export diminishing amounts up into the 1750s or 1760s.<ref>Hellyer, 77.</ref>

In [[1736]], the shogunate debased the coinage again, producing 46% silver ingots known as Genbun coins or Genbun ingots. As domestic production of [[ginseng]] and [[silk]] had grown considerably by this point, the shogunate decided it no longer needed to provide silver to Tsushima to support its trade in these goods, and so put an end to the domain's supply of 80% silver ingots. From that time forward, the domain gradually ceased exporting silver, switching to copper and other means of payment. Though later reporting that they had not exported any silver since 1736, [[uchi and omote|in truth]] they likely continued to export diminishing amounts up into the 1750s or 1760s.<ref>Hellyer, 77.</ref>

Silver exports via Nagasaki came to an end around [[1763]], though no specific ban was put into place. Domestic production of ginseng, sugar, and silk had grown to such an extent by this point that the Japanese could now afford to actually export those goods, and begin ''importing'' gold and silver. The export of copper was significantly reduced at this time as well.<ref>Hellyer, 78.</ref>

Silver exports via Nagasaki came to an end around [[1763]], though no specific ban was put into place. Domestic production of ginseng, sugar, and silk had grown to such an extent by this point that the Japanese could now afford to actually export those goods, along with a variety of marine products, and begin ''importing'' gold and silver. The export of copper was significantly reduced at this time as well.<ref>Hellyer, 78.</ref> Over the course of the period from 1763 to 1803, the shogunate implemented six new exemptions to the Chinese trading quotas aimed at increasing the amount of silver Chinese merchants brought into the country, along with 29 such exemptions aimed at doing the same for gold. Beginning in [[1769]], the ''[[Nagasaki kaisho]]'' (customs house) also began obtaining silver from the Dutch. The supplemental trade conducted through these and other exemptions amounted to as much as 31% of the total trade in the second half of the 18th century.<ref>Hellyer, 84.</ref>

In [[1779]], the shogunate banned the circulation of ''[[nanryoni|nanryôni]]'', pure silver coinage, switching over more exclusively to coins of gold-silver alloy, as well as copper coins.

In [[1779]], the shogunate banned the circulation of ''[[nanryoni|nanryôni]]'', pure silver coinage, switching over more exclusively to coins of gold-silver alloy, as well as copper coins.