In researching the attached coin, I found too many date/style examples to correctly identify this. My lack of any Japanese language skills certainly contributed ! Can anyone more precisely nail this down for me ? Thank you !
Yours is year 40 as evidenced by the 10 (十) and 4(四) https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces14250.html
The page needs to be updated for the new Emperor, but here is a 'reading Japanese coins' guide if you are interested. http://www.starcityhomer.com/reading-japanese-coins.html
Yes, it is Meiji 40 明治四十年, meaning the 40th year of the reign of Emperor Meiji, or 1907. At that time in Japan, text was read from right to left, but since the mid-1950s (since the American occupation) text reads left to right. 大日本 - means "Great Japan" or "Empire of Japan" as Japan referred to itself during and before WWII 五十銭 - means 50 sen. A sen was 1/100 of a Yen, but it is now an obsolete denomination.
