Bank of Japan Currency Museum reopen to the general public on Nov. 21, 2015. The central bank refurbished the museum showcasing some 3,000 items related to money, including coins known as Fuhon-sen, which were minted in the latter half of the seventh century and are believed to be the oldest coins in Japan.
The Currency Museum of the Bank of Japan’s opened in November 1985 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the foundation of Bank of Japan.
Exhibitions include various money and related materials from ancient Japan to the present day, including real Wado Kaichin, Oban and Koban, as well as rare money from all over the world.
The Sempeikan Collection, the core of the Currency Museum’s holdings, comprises the private collection of Tanaka Keibun (1884-1956), a numismatist of old currency. Tanaka collected not only the currencies of ancient to modern Japan but also those of other East Asian countries, mainly China, and a wide range of currency-related materials. The Sempeikan was a museum that exhibited and stored these materials. Its collection was donated to the Bank of Japan in 1944 to prevent its loss amid the destruction of World War II.
The Currency Museum is open to the public from 9:30am - 4:30pm (no entry after 4:00pm). It will closed on Mondays (open when Monday is a holiday), New Year's holidays (Dec. 29 - Jan.4).
