Catalog
1 Yen
| Issuer | Dai-Ichi Ginko (First National Bank of Japan) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1902-1904 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Yen |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Black intaglio print on white paper with a fine guilloche underprint. An oval portrait vignette of a Japanese gentleman in Western dress occupies the right portion of the note, rendered in fine line engraving. The large Chinese character for 'one yen' (壹圓) appears centrally, flanked by vertical Japanese text columns at left and upper centre, with the issuing bank name in kanji at lower left and the denomination '1 YEN' in Latin script at upper left. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Blue intaglio and letterpress print on white paper. The reverse is dominated by ornate Gothic lettering arranged in a formal decorative composition across the centre of the note, with the denomination 'ONE YEN' set within an elaborate guilloche panel. Japanese script columns at right convey the promise text in kanji, and two circular red chop seals appear at lower left and lower right. A large decorative 壹 character in an ornamental frame occupies the far left margin. |
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| Comments |
Dai-Ichi Ginko — formally the First National Bank — operated in Korea under Japanese authority before the Bank of Korea existed, effectively functioning as a colonial monetary institution. These notes circulated in Korea, not Japan, issued to support Japanese commercial interests on the peninsula during the Russo-Japanese War buildup and its immediate aftermath.
The series was eventually demonetized when the Bank of Korea was established in 1909, at which point Dai-Ichi Ginko's note-issuing privileges were transferred. Short circulation window, foreign market — survivorship is lower than the print run would suggest.