Yae-Zakura Double Cherry Blossom & Chrysanthemum 10 Sen Authentic Japan Coin Money for Jewelry (Empire of Japan) Sakura (Samurai Mortality)

Yae-Zakura Double Cherry Blossom & Chrysanthemum 10 Sen Authentic Japan Coin Money for Jewelry and Craft Making (Great Japan) (Empire of Japan) (Sakura) (Shōwa era) (Samurai) (Mortality) (Beauty)

USED: Condition FINE

Reverse: Double petal cherry blossom flanked by dots with authority on top and date below
Lettering: · 本 日 大 ·
年七十和昭
Translation: · Great Japan ·
Year 17 of Shōwa
[N.B. this is an example of the date; each coin's date varies from 1940 to 1943)

Obverse: Chrysanthemum flanked by dots with value above and paulownia foliage below
Lettering: 錢 十
Translation: 10 sen

Features
Issuer Japan
Emperor Shōwa (1926-1989)
Type Standard circulation coin
Years 15-18 (1940-1943)
Calendar Japanese - Shōwa era
Value 10 Sen (0.10 JPY)
Currency Yen (1871-date)
Composition Aluminium
Weight 1.2 g
Diameter 22 mm
Thickness 1.49 mm
Shape Round
Technique Milled
Orientation Medal alignment ↑↑
Demonetized Yes
Number N# 5438
References Y# 61, JNDA# 01-30

Information about the imagery on this coin:

A cherry blossom usually has 5 petals, but there are types of Japanese cherry trees that have 10, 20 and even 100 petals. These flowers are called yaezakura (八重桜). Cherry trees can be called according to the number of petals as: 一重 hitoe (0-5) |半八重 hanyae (5-10) |八重 yae (10+).

In Japan, cherry trees symbolize clouds due to their massive flowering, and also serve as a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life associated with Buddhism. The compromise of flowers, their extreme beauty and rapid death, was associated with mortality.

Samurai used to be associated with cherry trees, because their flowering is short, representing the short life of many samurai on the battlefield.

During World War II, cherry trees were used to motivate the Japanese people, to ignite nationalism and also militarism. They were used in advertisements to inspire the “Japanese spirit”, mainly because of their relationship with the Samurai.

In Imperial Japan, cherry trees were planted as “claiming occupied territory as Japanese space”.

The cherry blossom signifies feminine beauty and symbolizes love, happiness, renewal and hope. Women decorated their hair with cherry branches to show that they were looking for a partner.

Source: https://skdesu.com/en/sakura-cherry-curiosities/

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Yaezakura (Double-Flowered Cherry Blossom) 【 八重桜 】

The Chimura District around Mt. Zukko is a famous area for double-flowered sakura, known as Yaezakura. After the Second World War, a renowned agriculturalist planted a great number of these trees, and today some 2,500 Yaezakura trees are said to be growing across the Chimura District. The flowers are harvested during the the double-flowering stage and prepared for culinary use. The harvest is a common sight of spring.

Most of the Yaezakura flowers that color the Chimura District in spring time are harvested for eating. The confectioners in the city sell a limited-season “Hadano Sakura ♪ Pudding” made using the Yaezakura flowers. The flowers are also used to make sake and in aromatic goods. These products are recommended by the Hadano City Tourist Association. Since Yaezakura are picked before they reach full bloom, local people are new planting Yaezakura trees for people to enjoy viewing even after the harvest time.
Source: https://kankou-hadano.org/hadanosightseenguide/yaezakura.html

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The chrysanthemum represents longevity, rejuvenation and nobility in Japan. It is also the symbol of autumn, harvest and goodwill. Because of its auspicious meaning, the flower frequently appears on decorations, accessories, porcelains, kimonos and obis. People give red chrysanthemums to loved and respected people. But be careful; do not give white chrysanthemum as gifts because it is used for funerals and graves in the country.
Source: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2019-09-10/The-chrysanthemum-culture-in-Japan-beautiful-auspicious-and-royal-JSbIPUG5Ve/index.html

Wikipedia:
In Japan, the chrysanthemum is a symbol of the Emperor and the Imperial family. In particular, a "chrysanthemum crest" (菊花紋章, kikukamonshō or kikkamonshō), i.e. a mon of chrysanthemum blossom design, indicates a link to the Emperor; there are more than 150 patterns of this design. Notable uses of and reference to the Imperial chrysanthemum include:
The Imperial Seal of Japan is used by members of the Japanese imperial family. In 1869, a two-layered, 16-petal design was designated as the symbol of the emperor. Princes used a simpler, single-layer pattern.
The Chrysanthemum Throne is the name given to the position of Japanese Emperor and the throne.
The Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum is a Japanese honor awarded by the emperor on the advice of the Japanese government.
In imperial Japan, small arms were required to be stamped with the imperial chrysanthemum, as they were considered the personal property of the emperor.

Chrysanthemums first arrived in Japan by way of China in the 5th century. The chrysanthemum has been used as a theme of waka (Japanese traditional poetry) since around the 10th century in the Heian period, and Kokin Wakashū is the most famous of them. In the 12th century, during the Kamakura period, when the Retired Emperor Go-Toba adopted it as the mon (family crest) of the Imperial family, it became a flower that symbolized autumn in Japan. During the Edo period from the 17th century to the 19th century, due to the development of economy and culture, the cultivation of chrysanthemums, cherry blossoms, Japanese iris, morning glory, etc. became popular, many cultivars were created and many chrysanthemum exhibitions were held. From the Meiji period in the latter half of the 19th century, due to the growing importance of the chrysanthemum, which symbolized the Imperial family, the creation of ogiku style cultivars with a diameter of 20 cm or more became popular.

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Wikipedia:
The Empire of Japan was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent formation of modern Japan. It encompassed the Japanese archipelago and several colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories.

Under the slogans of Fukoku Kyōhei and Shokusan Kōgyō, Japan underwent a period of industrialization and militarization, the Meiji Restoration being the fastest modernisation of any country to date, all of these aspects contributed to Japan's emergence as a great power and the establishment of a colonial empire following the First Sino-Japanese War, the Boxer Rebellion, the Russo-Japanese War, and World War I. Economic and political turmoil in the 1920s, including the Great Depression, led to the rise of militarism, nationalism and totalitarianism, eventually culminating in Japan's membership in the Axis alliance and the conquest of a large part of the Asia-Pacific in World War II.

Japan's armed forces initially achieved large-scale military successes during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) and the Pacific War. However, starting from 1942, particularly after the Battles of Midway and Guadalcanal, Japan was forced to adopt a defensive stance, and the American island hopping campaign meant that Japan was slowly losing all of the territory it had gained, and eventually, the Americans captured Iwo Jima and Okinawa Island, leaving the Japanese mainland completely unprotected. The U.S. forces had planned an invasion, but Japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the nearly simultaneous Soviet declaration of war on August 9, 1945, and subsequent invasion of Manchuria and other territories. The Pacific War officially came to a close on September 2, 1945. A period of occupation by the Allies followed. In 1947, with American involvement, a new constitution was enacted, officially bringing the Empire of Japan to an end, and Japan's Imperial Army was replaced with the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Occupation and reconstruction continued until 1952, eventually forming the current constitutional monarchy known as Japan.

The Empire of Japan had three emperors, although it came to an end partway through Shōwa's reign. The emperors were given posthumous names, and the emperors are as follows: Meiji, Taisho, and Shōwa.