Need Help with Japanese Coin or Character

harasha

I recently purchased a study lot of Japanese cash. I was able to get some sort of handle on 9 of the 10 coins, but despite going through Hartill's Japanese cash reference, I could not place the coin below. The character at 12:00 is a puzzler, but I am certain that I have seen it before. Anyone here have any idea about the coin or the character?

pruebas

This is the top character in type: 弘

But I cannot read the left and right characters very well and don't have my book handy.

pruebas

In fact, the top, right, and bottom seem to be: 弘浄光
I just can't make out the left.

harasha

I was looking for the transliteration of the top character. The rest of the legend reads, I believe, ? Gen Tsu Ho. Top to bottom to right to left. How would you pronounce 弘 ?

pruebas

Kanji have at least two readings. I think the one you need is "hiroi". The other is "gou" where "ou" is the long o (sometimes Romanized as o with a line over the top).

harasha

Thank you very much! Let me see if I can get anywhere, now.

pruebas

Correction: The Chinese reading is "gu" not "gou". Another is "kou" or "kō"
The Japanese reading is "hiroi" or "hiro".

Sapyx

The coin bears the legend of a Southern Ming (Chinese rebel) coin, Hong Guang tong bao type. https://www.zeno.ru/showphoto.php?photo=177870

This same legend is recorded among the numerous Vietnamese copies of Chinese coins, but not among the legends copied by Japanese merchants for trade with Vietnam, so I suspect this is one of those native Vietnamese copies, rather than Japanese in origin.

harasha

If Vietnamese, that would explain the description's lack in Hartill's book.