500,000 WWII “Ghost Coins” Discovered Next to Tea Set at Japanese Company

The Japanese Mint already kept coins of this type but this is the first time that such a large number has been discovered.

Ceramic pieces dating from the Second World War

According to a press release published by the Japan Mint, a large quantity of ceramic coins were found in Kyoto, in a warehouse on the site of a former manufacturer. They were hidden in 15 wooden boxes on the Shofu Industry Corporation site in Kyoto, according to the institution.

photo credit: Mint of Japan

These ceramic pieces were currency during World War II due to a shortage of the metal. Thus, they would only have circulated in the archipelago for a very short period. One of the two faces features Mount Fuji, the other cherry blossoms.

photo credit: Maison du Japon

A surprising discovery

According to a press release from the Japan Mint, 15 million of these ceramic coins were produced between 1939 and 1945. At the end of the war, losing their market value, they were thrown away without further ceremony, and are now called “ the ghost rooms”.

A company specializing in ceramics, Shofu Industry Corporation was one of three companies designated by the Japan Mint which were authorized to produce these famous ceramic coins. The manager said he was very surprised by this discovery: “There are unexpected things in unexpected places”.

Return to a little-known period in Japanese history

To thank the company, which today specializes in the manufacture of porcelain teeth according to Arkeonews, the Japan Mint decided to present a letter of thanks to the company, but also to make a donation of 100 ceramic pieces.

To date, 500,000 pieces have been delivered. The Mint now plans to display the coins on its premises but also in branches in Saitama and Hiroshima. One of the managers of the establishment declared that this discovery had great historical value, but also that it shed light “a little-known period in the history of coinage in Japan”.