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1 Monme Okada Domain
| Issuer | Okada Domain (備中岡田藩, Bitchū Okada Han) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1732 |
| 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 | 200 × 46 mm |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Tall, narrow vertical format printed in black with blue and green hand-applied seals. A woodblock vignette at the top depicts Bishamonten, the guardian deity, within a decorative cloud-and-dragon border. A large blue circular seal dominates the upper-central area, with a smaller green circular seal below it. The lower portion of the note is filled with dense vertical columns of brushwork text conveying a Buddhist moral exhortation concerning the purpose and legitimacy of the note's circulation. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Multiple hand-applied official seals in red, blue, and green ink impressed over the printed design on both faces to authenticate the note. |
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| Comments |
Okada Domain was a small fudai han in Bitchū Province assessed at roughly 10,000 koku — the minimum threshold for domain status — which made the decision to issue hansatsu in 1732 a meaningful economic act rather than a routine one. Domains at that stone were frequently dependent on Osaka merchant networks for financing, and local paper currency offered a way to manage rice-based obligations without hemorrhaging silver to outside creditors.
The monme denomination ties this note directly to silver-weight accounting, the commercial standard in western Japan, rather than the gold-based ryō system dominant in Edo. That alone marks this as a note designed for local merchant use, not samurai stipend administration.