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1 Monme

Issuer Ashimori Domain (Japanese feudal domains)
Year 1730
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Size 157 × 39 mm
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Obverse description Vertical-format note printed in black with red overstamps; the upper register bears a full-length frontal vignette of Benzaiten seated, holding a key, sword, and lotus blossom. The central field is divided into several vertical text cartouches giving the denomination and issuing authority, framed by a Seigaiha (overlapping wave-scale) border motif at the base. A red official seal is applied to the centre of the note.
Obverse lettering 享   備
保 銀 中
十   足
五 壹 守
庚  銀
戌 匁 榜
歳 
阪大 石明
帋屋集助
白木屋条助

(Translation: Bitchū Ashimori silver Silver one Monme Kyōhō fifteenth Fire Dog year)
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Comments

Ashimori was a small fudai domain in Bitchu Province (modern Okayama Prefecture), holding a assessed yield of just 25,000 koku — modest even by han standards. Domain-issued paper currency, hansatsu, allowed local lords to effectively borrow against future tax revenue while keeping metallic coin within domain borders. The monme denomination places this firmly in the silver-unit system of western Japan, distinct from the gold-based ryo denominations more common in Edo-area issues.

1730 falls within a period of widespread hansatsu proliferation following the Kyoho economic reforms, which paradoxically drove many smaller domains toward paper as silver coinage tightened.

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