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20 Sen
| Issuer | Bank of Chosen (朝鮮銀行) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The face is printed in dark brown and orange-red on an uncoloured ground, with a central panel bearing the vertical Japanese inscription 朝鮮銀行仕佛圓票 (Bank of Chosen Convertible Note) and the denomination 貳拾銭 in large brushstroke characters. A circular red seal of the Bank of Chosen appears to the left, while an ornate guilloche rosette carrying the numeral '20' occupies the right portion. A paulownia flower vignette is centred at the top, flanked by intricate lathe-work borders, and the Taisho era date 大正八年十月十二日 is printed along the lower edge. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | 20 Сенъ Бонъ Ціосенъ Банка 20 Сенъ The Bank of Chosen Promises to Pay the Bearer on Demand Twenty Sen 20 IN JAPANESE CURRENCY IN ANY OF ITS MANCHURIAN OFFICES Обмѣниваетен на Японскую Монету къ Отлѣленіяхъ Банка въ Манъчжуріи (Translation: 20 Sen Bank of Joseon, Exchangeable for Japanese Coin to Bank Branches in Manchuria) |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Chōsen — the Japanese colonial central bank established in Korea in 1909 — issued fractional sen notes during the First World War and its immediate aftermath because the global shortage of silver had made small coin production economically unviable. This 20 Sen belongs to that wartime and postwar fractional currency program, which was itself an extension of Japanese monetary policy across the colonial sphere rather than a response to any condition specific to Korea.
The series was short-lived by design. Once metal supplies stabilized and coin production resumed, these notes were withdrawn. Surviving examples in any condition are scarcer than their original print runs might suggest.