About
On a street corner in Kameido, by the banks of the Yokojikken River, this place once served as the center of coin minting in Edo. From Kanbun 8 (1668) to Tenna 3 (1683), Kan’ei Tsuho coins were minted here, and the “Sebun-sen” coins, with the character “文” engraved on their reverse side, were created. The coins produced at this mint played an important role in supporting Edo’s economy.
Today, a monument modeled after the Kan’ei Tsuho coin stands on this site, quietly telling the story of the bustle of those days. The relief depicts part of the copper coin manufacturing process at the mint, allowing one to sense the breath of the craftsmen. The surrounding Yokojikken River was used as a transportation route for goods during the Edo period, and the coins minted here were also transported to various places via this river.
With the passage of time, this area has become a quiet residential neighborhood, but copper coins from that era are still sometimes unearthed from the ground, conveying traces of history to the present day. When visiting this place, one can feel the history of coin minting in Edo and the lives of the people who lived here, carried on the whispers of the wind.