Zeniza - Money

During the Edo period, these were institutions entrusted with minting and issuing coins by the shogunate, beginning with those established in 1636 (Kan'ei 13) in Shibahamate, Edo, and Sakamoto, Omi. They were also called mints. Unlike gold and silver mints, they were not permanent, and in principle, they publicly solicited applicants whenever coins were needed, and contracted out to them for a set amount and period of time. Contractors included merchants who were patronized by the shogunate, copper mint managers, and many local townspeople, and their areas included Akita, Sendai, Mito, Sado, Koshu, Matsumoto, Sunpu, Kishu, Kyoto, Osaka, Bizen, Nagato, Bungo, and other areas throughout the country. However, with the decline of domestic copper production and the start of the minting of iron coins from the Genbun era (1736-1741), which led to a drop in the price of coins, control over minting became stricter. The private contracting out of mints was stopped and mints were made into both gold and silver mints. Under this system, the coin minting fixed company and brass coin mint were established in 1765 (Meiwa 2).

[Masaru Iwahashi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代、幕府から銭貨(せんか)の鋳造・発行を任された機関で、1636年（寛永13）江戸・芝浜手(しばはまて)および近江(おうみ)・坂本で設けられたものを初めとする。鋳銭(ちゅうせん)座ともいう。金座、銀座のように常設でなく、鋳銭が必要なつど公募し、鋳造額と期間を定めて請け負わせるのを原則とした。請負人は幕府御用商人、銅座経営者のほか地方町人も多く、その地域は、秋田、仙台、水戸、佐渡、甲州、松本、駿府(すんぷ)、紀州、京、大坂、備前(びぜん)、長門(ながと)、豊後(ぶんご)など全国にわたった。しかし、国内産銅の減退と、元文(げんぶん)（1736～41）以降新たに鉄銭が鋳造され、銭相場が低落するに伴い、鋳銭統制が厳しくなり、銭座の民間請負をやめ、金、銀座兼帯とし、1765年（明和2）そのもとで鋳銭定座や真鍮(しんちゅう)銭座が設立された。

［岩橋　勝］

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