This is a copper 1 sen coin from Japan, minted in the 21st year of the Meiji Emperor's reign (1888). The coin features a dragon with V shaped scales on obverse and the value, date, and Japanese characters on the reverse. The dragon represented power and good fortune in Japanese mythology and was often used on coins during the Meiji period. The denomination of 1 sen was a relatively low value coin used for everyday transactions in Japan at the time.

Issuer	Japan
Emperor	Meiji (1867-1912)
Type	Standard circulation coin
Years	6-25 (1873-1892)
Calendar	Japanese - Meiji era
Value	1 Sen (0.01 JPY)
Currency	Yen (1871-date)
Composition	Copper
Weight	7.13 g
Diameter	27.9 mm
Thickness	1.62 mm