Reverse In the central part - the numeral: "1". Below - an inscription in Japanese indicating the year of minting: "昭和四十六年" - "46TH YEAR OF SHŌWA" or 1971 in the Gregorian calendar.
Obverse In the upper part, following the curve of the coin's edge, text in Japanese: "日本国" - "STATE OF JAPAN". In the central part - an image of a young bamboo shoot. Below - the denomination of 1 yen in Japanese: "一円".