The was a Japanese coin worth one twentieth of a Japanese yen, as 100 sen equalled 1 yen. These coins were minted from the late 19th century until the end of World War II. Like the other denominations of sen, these coins were eventually taken out of circulation at the end of 1953. While not in circulation any more, these coins are bought and sold by numismatists for academic study, and by those with a hobby.
History
Meiji coinage (1870–1906)
Five sen coins were first struck towards the end of 1870 from a newly established mint in Osaka. They were then held at the mint until the following year of issuance when they circulated alongside newly minted 1871 (year 4) dated coins. Five sen coins along with twelve other denominations were adopted by the Meiji government in an act signed on June 27, 1871. This new coinage gave Japan a western style decimal system based on units of yen, which were broken down into subsidiary currency of sen, and rin. Five sen coins dated 1870 and 1871 (year 3 and 4 of Meiji) were initially authorized to be struck in .800 silver, weighs 19.3 grains (1.25g), and has a 15.5mm diameter (0.61 in). The first design used is called , which had its features engraved by a commission of Japanese artists. On the reverse side there is a paulownia decoration with a sunburst in the center along with the chrysanthemum seal up on top. This first dragon design turned out to be problematic as the thin small size of the coin meant that the dragon's features could not be fully struck. An amendment to the currency act (Daijo-kan Declaration No. 74) was adopted in March 1872, which changed the dragon to a simple "五銭" (5 sen) design. No changes were made to the weight or size of these coins when they were issued in 1872 (year 5) bearing the date from the prior year.
In early 1873 (year 6), the currency act was amended again giving five sen coins a third design. The weight of the coin was raised from 19.3 to 20.8 grains (1.35g) as the face value of the former coins were not proportional to the 1 yen coin. Five sen coins were also reduced in size from 15.5 to 15.2mm, this decision was unpopular as they were hard to use in commerce. The dragon was restored to the obverse side of the coin as technical improvements from new British coin presses made a clear design. Latin script reading "5 Sen" was introduced below the dragon for internationalization and foreigners. The reverse side of the coin received a new paulownia wreath decoration, and the sunburst was replaced by the value written in Kanji. Production of the silver 5 sen coin continued until 1880 with the latter three years being dated 1877 (year 10). During their final year a few coins were struck in proof dated 1880 (year 13) for exclusive use in presentation sets. These coins were ultimately discontinued for circulation as their unpopular small size had caused them to become inconvenient. Five sen silver coins were later struck in 1892 (year 25) to have non circulating examples to display at the World's Columbian Exposition.
The Japanese government promulgated the "Additional Corrections to the Currency Regulations" (Royal Order No. 74) in November 1888 (year 21), and a new coin pattern was adopted. Cupronickel was chosen as a replacement for silver as Japan had an excess supply of copper at the time. As the coins lost their silver value, they were grouped with bronze coins which were only redeemable for up to a yen. This coin is noteworthy for being the first made by Japanese engineers using technology licensed from the United Kingdom. Five sen coins with the fourth design feature a large chrysanthemum seal on the obverse, and a large 五 (5) on the reverse. These coins are heavier and larger than their silver predecessors weighing 72 grains (4.67g) with a width of 20.6mm. Although production began in 1889 (year 22), the simple design of the coin made them a target of counterfeiters. These coins were only produced for 8 years as their fake counterparts eventually became "rampant".