Primary Factors for the Rise and Fall of "[セン]" (Sen), a Variant Glyph of "銭" (Sen)

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  • 「銭」の異体字「[セン]」の盛衰とその要因
  • 「 ゼニ 」 ノ イタイジ 「 セン 」 ノ セイスイ ト ソノ ヨウイン

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to clarify the emergence and disappearance of "[セン]" (Sen), a variant glyph of "銭" (Sen). Early twentieth century handwritten documents were investigated in order to clarify the onset and decline of "[セン]" in daily usage. As a result of this investigation, it became clear that "[セン]" appeared around 1872-1873 and went out of usage in the mid-1940s. The main factors involved in the rise and fall of the variant glyph "[セン]" are the change of the monetary system, and the change in usage frequency of "銭" accompanying inflation. When adopted as a monetary unit in 1871, the usage frequency of "銭" greatly increased. However, the usage frequency decreased gradually due to inflation in the years following. When the monetary unit "銭" was abolished in 1953, the decline in usage frequency became decisive. The time in which the usage frequency of "銭" fluctuated is in agreement with the rise and fall of the use of the character "[セン]" observed in the handwritten document investigation. From the above, it can be concluded that the main factors in the rise and fall of the character "[セン]" were the change of the monetary system and inflation.

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