Japan Finance Minister Announces Kyoto and Shimane Commemorative Coin Designs

Japan Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga announced in a press conference Tuesday the themes and designs for the Kyoto and Shimane Prefectures ¥1,000 and ¥500 commemorative coins.

The Kyoto design features a scene from "The Tale of Genji," the literary romantic classic set in Kyoto and written by Murasaki Shikibu in the eleventh century. The Shimane design depicts an oval-shaped coin minted in the 16th century at the Iwami GinZan silver mine in Shimane.

The coins follow the July 1 ¥1,000 Hokkaido Commemorative release and are a part of the 8-year series of 94 coins honoring the 60th anniversary of the Local Autonomy Law, which in part, established each of Japan’s 47 prefectures.

The Kyoto 1,000 yen commemorative is scheduled for issuance in October, and prior to the November 1,000th anniversary of “The Tale of Genji,” which first appeared in recorded history in 1008. The Shimane coin is scheduled for release in December.

Their 500 yen versions will be released in December as well (along with the ¥500 Hokkaido coin).

The commemorative 1,000 yen coin specifications are:

• Composition - Sterling Silver
• Weight - 31.1 g
• Diameter - 40 mm
• Mintage - 100,000 each
• Colors - White, black, blue green, light blue, red and green
• Official Issue Date - July 1, 2008

While the face value of the limited minted coin is 1,000-yen, its purchase price will be 6,000-yen.

The commemorative 500 yen coin specifications are:

• Composition - 75% copper, 12.5% zinc, Nickel 12.5%
• Weight - 7.1 g
• Diameter - 26.5 mm
• Mintage - To be determined
• Official Issue Date - December 2008

Images courtesy of Japan Ministry of Finance.