Catalog
1 Monme
| Issuer | Japan (Local merchant / temple issue) |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | 1871 |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | The obverse is densely covered with vertical columns of Japanese script in letterpress. In the upper third, a circular vignette encloses a figure of a man, above which a red official seal (hanko) is applied. The central section presents three columns of text, the middle column rendered in heavier brushwork, while the lower third carries a background underprint of script with a framed cartouche at centre bearing bold inscription. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 備中津寺 銀壹匁 通用手形 引請 大阪 米屋 青札 (Translation: Bicchu Tsuji [Temple/Place] / Silver 1 Monme / General circulation exchange note / Guarantor / Osaka / Rice dealer / Blue paper money) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Monme-denomination notes were issued by a sprawling, decentralized network of private merchants, temples, and domain authorities across Edo-period Japan — not by any central banking apparatus, which wouldn't exist until the Meiji reforms of the 1870s. Individual issuers backed their notes against rice, silver, or copper coinage depending on region and date, meaning two superficially similar notes could represent entirely different promises of redemption.
Temple-issued examples were often tied to pilgrimage routes and accepted primarily within the immediate locality — sometimes only at specific markets or on specific days. Survival rates are low; most were redeemed or destroyed as intended, and private archival preservation was rare.