cash, bad habit, humble prefix, gift, Shinto offerings of cloth, rope, cut paper
幣 centers on objects used in exchange or offering: from physical cash and gifts to ritual cloth and paper offerings. The 'bad habit' and 'humble prefix' senses are specialized extensions of the idea of presenting something.
幣 combines 敝 (worn-out, ragged) with 巾 (cloth). Historically, it referred to silk or cloth used as offerings or gifts, later extending to currency and money.
The top 敝 looks like a worn piece of cloth being torn, and the bottom 巾 is cloth itself. Imagine tearing a piece of cloth to use as an offering or as primitive cash.
For ヘイ, picture a person saying 'Hey!' as they hand over a cloth offering: 'Hey!' -> ヘイ, and the cloth becomes a gift.
paper money; note; bill
money; currency; coin
staff with plaited paper streamers
reward; present; gift; offering to the gods
mint; mint bureau
Japan Mint
inconvertible paper money; fiat money
renminbi (currency of China); Chinese yuan
fake bill
paper and sacred sakaki branches cut and mixed with rice to scatter before the gods
Imperial Shrine of Special Status (receiving some support from the Imperial Household Department)
commodity money
shrine receiving offerings from the provincial government (pre-Meiji) or the national treasury (post-Meiji)
streamers (made of linen, paper, etc.) attached to a long pole (used as a wand in grand purification ceremonies)
offering a wand with hemp and paper streamers to a Shinto god
imperial messenger to a shrine; envoy returning courtesies
national shrine of middle grade
national shrine of major grade
national shrine of minor grade
shrine receiving offerings from the Bureau of Divinities (pre-Meiji) or the Imperial Household Department (post-Meiji)