| Material | Nickel-brass, Cupronickel and Copper |
| Composition | Copper 750 Zinc 125 Nickel 125 |
| Weight | 7.1g |
| Diameter | 26.5mm |
| Year of Production | 2011 |
A 500 yen coin made to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the enforcement of the Local Autonomy Law.
There are 47 types, the same as the number of prefectures in Japan.
It is made by combining two technologies: “Cladd,” in which another type of metal plate is inserted between two metal plates, and “Bicolor,” in which another metal is placed in a disk. “Baikara Clad
There are jagged edges on the sides, and only four places are shaped differently from the rest.
The reverse side is the same.
The design imitates the coins of the Edo period.
It is written in kanji as “local Autonomy” in four characters.
The year and “JAPAN 47PREFECTURES COIN PROGRAM” are engraved.
The obverse has a different design for each prefecture.
The TOTTORI type depicts Mount Mitoku Sanbutsu Temple’s Nageiredo.
Sanbutsu-ji is located on Mount Mitoku in Tottori Prefecture. Sanbutsu-ji was established in 849 and enshrines the three deities of Buddhism: Amida Nyorai, Shakyamuni, and Dainichi Nyorai.
Mount Mitoku is said to have originally been a sacred mountain used for training by the famous ancient Japanese sorcerer En no Ozunu, and the temple Sanbutsu-ji was established by the monk Ennin who recognized its spiritual power. The structure depicted, the Nageire-do(Throw in-do), is one of the buildings of Sanbutsu-ji, and it is a mysterious building built halfway up a sheer cliff. The method of construction remains unexplained even after nearly 1000 years, and one theory suggests that En no Ozunu threw the building onto the cliff, which is said to be the origin of its name.
