Cultural Treasures Spotlighted on New Medals

The Japan Mint has announced the release of a new National Treasure Medal which features the Kiyomizu-dera Temple. The medal is available in both gold and silver. National Treasures are defined as government-designated tangible cultural properties selected as peerless treasures of the Japanese people based on their importance to world culture.

The Kiyomizu-dera Temple is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and makes for a beautiful coin design. The obverse shows the main hall, or Hondo, standing on the cliff of Mount Otowa. The reverse has the Otowa waterfall, which is the basis for the Temple’s construction and the source of its name. The characters for “Kiyomizu-dera Temple” can be seen on the top left.

Both the gold and silver medals boast a 99.9 percent fineness, but they differ in size. The gold medal is 35mm in diameter and weighs 45 grams with a limited mintage of only 800, while the silver medal has a diameter of 60mm and a wight of 160 grams and a mintage of 2,000.