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The Currency Museum of the Bank of Japan’s Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies collects, preserves, and studies currency-related historical and cultural materials. The Currency Museum is open to the public.

The Sempeikan Collection, the core of the Currency Museum’s holdings, comprises the private collection of Tanaka Keibun (1884-1956), a numismatist of old currency. Tanaka collected the currencies of ancient to modern Japan and those of other East Asian countries, mainly China, and a wide range of currency-related materials. The Sempeikan was a museum that exhibited and stored these materials. Its collection was donated to the Bank of Japan in 1944 to prevent its loss amid the destruction of World War II.

Organized to commemorate the Bank’s 100th anniversary in 1982, the Currency Museum opened in November 1985 to display these materials to the public. We hope visitors have an opportunity to think about the history and role of currency and its relation to culture and society through viewing the Museum’s collection of coins, notes, related materials, and research results.

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