The Enthronement of the Emperor 500 yen Cupro-nickel Coin

JNDA#03-18

This commemorative coin was issued in November 1990 (Heisei 2) to commemorate the accession of Emperor Akihito (now His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus).
The obverse features the “Special Imperial Ceremonial Carriage (No. 1),” while the reverse depicts a phoenix and the chrysanthemum crest.
The Special Imperial Ceremonial Carriages are used for important Imperial Household ceremonies and are classified into Types 1 through 4 depending on their intended use.
Since important Imperial Household ceremonies are often held within the Imperial Palace or at Ise Grand Shrine—and are not generally open to the public—it is highly unlikely that the general public will ever have the opportunity to see this Type 1 carriage.
However, Type 4 vehicles—used to transport foreign ambassadors with extraordinary and plenipotentiary powers when they arrive in Japan to present their credentials to the Emperor—sometimes travel from Marunouchi in Tokyo to the area in front of the Imperial Palace, so if you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of one.

With a relatively large mintage of 30 million coins, this coin is relatively easy to obtain.

⇒Please click here for the commemorative coin list page.