Coin Japan 50 Sen - Dragon - Meiji Year 37 - 1904 - Silver

The 50 sen silver coin minted during the 37th year of the Meiji era, corresponding to the year 1904 in the Western calendar, is among the most representative monetary issues of Japan's modernization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Introduced as part of the great monetary reform of 1871, this coin illustrates Japan's desire to adopt a modern monetary system, inspired by Western standards, based on the yen and its decimal system.

Struck in silver with a fineness of 800 ?, the coin has a diameter of approximately 30.5 millimeters and a weight of 13.48 grams, making it an important intermediate currency in the daily circulation of the time. Its iconography is particularly remarkable: the obverse features a majestic imperial dragon surrounded by inscriptions indicating the name of the country, Dai Nippon ('Great Japan'), while the face value '50 SEN' appears in Latin characters, a clear sign of Japan's international openness during this period. The reverse, for its part, highlights the denomination in Japanese characters, framed by a vegetal crown symbolizing prosperity and harmony.

This issue occurs in a major historical context. The year 1904 corresponds to the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, a decisive conflict during which Japan asserted its military and industrial power on the world stage. The silver coins of the Meiji era circulated during a period of rapid transformation of the country, marked by industrialization, institutional reform, and the adoption of Western technologies. Today, they embody the transition from a feudal Japan to a modern power.