Museum objects
0 shown · 5 cited but not shown. An image only appears here if it is openly
licensed and confirmed to depict the object we claim. Otherwise we cite it and link you to
the museum — we would rather show you nothing than show you the wrong thing.
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2017.0060.2874
Smithsonian National Museum of American History
image failed verification (wrong object) — cited, not shown
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1 Yen Coin (1870)
Smithsonian National Museum of American History · 2017.0060.2874 · 1870
One of the earliest yen coins struck under Japan's New Currency Act, part of the Meiji government's modernization program.
Aiko was born the moment Japan decided to abandon centuries of feudal currency and adopt a single, disciplined, Western-style system almost overnight.
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BOJ Currency Museum general collection
Bank of Japan Currency Museum
image failed verification (wrong object) — cited, not shown
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Bank of Japan Currency Museum Collection
Bank of Japan Currency Museum · BOJ Currency Museum general collection · Various
The official currency museum of the Bank of Japan, housing the full history of Japanese money.
Everything Aiko has ever been — coin, note, digital balance — is documented here, steps from where the modern Bank of Japan itself sits.
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Meiji Tsuho note
Osaka Mint Museum
image failed verification (wrong object) — cited, not shown
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Meiji Tsuho Banknote
Osaka Mint Museum · Meiji Tsuho note · 1868-1872
Early Meiji-era paper currency issued before the yen's formal standardization, printed using German technology.
Before Aiko had her disciplined, modern form, she was this — an experimental note trying to hold together a government mid-transformation.
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New Currency Act 1871
National Archives of Japan
image failed verification (wrong object) — cited, not shown
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New Currency Act Original Text (1871)
National Archives of Japan · New Currency Act 1871 · 1871
The founding legislation establishing the yen as Japan's national currency, replacing the old feudal system.
This law is the reason Aiko exists — the moment Japan chose modern discipline over centuries of feudal currency chaos.
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Osaka Mint historical press
Osaka Mint Museum
image failed verification (wrong object) — cited, not shown
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Osaka Mint Museum Historical Coin Press
Osaka Mint Museum · Osaka Mint historical press · 1871 onward
An original 19th-century coin-striking press used at the newly established Osaka Mint.
This machine physically stamped Aiko's discipline into every coin — a literal engine of the modernization Japan chose for itself.
Primary sources
The documents themselves. We link and quote — that is citation, and it needs no licence.
MoneyMuseum: History of the Yen
museum_publication · Ongoing · MoneyMuseum · MoneyMuseum
Educational publication tracing the yen's history from the Meiji Restoration to today.
An educational guide explaining the full history of the Japanese yen.
Wikipedia: Meiji Tsuho
encyclopedia_entry · Ongoing · Wikipedia contributors · Wikipedia
Reference on the transitional paper currency issued before the yen's formal standardization.
Background on the experimental paper money Japan used right before creating the yen.
New Currency Act of 1871 (Full Text)
legal_document · 1871 · Meiji government of Japan · National Archives of Japan
The founding law establishing the yen as Japan's official currency.
The actual law text that created the yen in 1871.
Bank of Japan Currency Museum Official Archive
museum_record · Ongoing · Bank of Japan · Bank of Japan Currency Museum
Official archive documenting the full history of Japanese currency.
Japan's central bank's own official archive about its currency's history.
Osaka Mint Historical Records
museum_record · Ongoing · Japan Mint · Osaka Mint Museum
Historical records documenting the establishment and operations of Japan's first modern mint.
Official records from Japan's first modern coin-making mint.
Where this money travelled
Aiko was born from Japan's Meiji-era modernization and became one of the world's most disciplined reserve currencies, shaped by Tokyo, Osaka, and decades of trade with the West.
Tokyo (Bank of Japan)35.6875, 139.7745
Osaka Mint34.6937, 135.5023
Yokohama35.4437, 139.6380
Hong Kong22.3193, 114.1694
Bretton Woods, New Hampshire44.2601, -71.4478
What we don't know
The page no competitor will build.
- 5 of 5 objects on this page are cited but not shown — either the rights are not cleared, or we could not verify that an available image really depicts the object. We would rather show you nothing than show you the wrong thing.
- 1 source(s) here are Wikipedia — a tertiary source. It is a pointer, not our evidence. These are being replaced with the primary documents Wikipedia itself cites.
