(I001-1)The Use of bajirome (ferrous speiss produced from lead smelting)for casting imitated Chinese coins at the Kurosaki Mint in the early seventeenth century

摘要

Copper and bronze products manufactured from ancient times to early modern ones in Japan often contain several wt% arsenic. This aspect reflects on currency, as well. Some of 'Twelve Copper Coins of Ancient Japan' (kocho junisen), 'imitated Chinese coins cast in Japan' (kokunai mochusen) in the Medieval period, and copper coins (kan'ei tsuho) in the early modern period are reported to contain several wt% arsenic, although Chinese coins imported abundantly in the Medieval period were made of copper alloy with tin and lead.