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3 Monme 7 Fun 5 Rin 'Tenmei Kikin Satsu'
| Issuer | Sendai Domain |
|---|---|
| Year | 1784 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Plain yellowish paper ground bearing two hand-applied seal impressions: a circular red inkan seal in the upper portion, and a rectangular black seal with decorative border in the lower portion. The rectangular seal carries the denomination inscription in Chinese characters arranged in two columns within a scalloped cartouche. A small cancellation hole is visible near the upper centre of the note. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain yellowish paper ground bearing three black seal impressions: a partial circular seal in the upper right corner, a large circular inkan seal in the centre with bold Chinese characters, and two smaller rectangular and circular seals in the lower portion. A small cancellation hole is visible near the upper left. All impressions are applied by hand stamp in black ink. |
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| Comments |
The "Tenmei Kikin Satsu" designation translates directly as "Tenmei Famine Note" — this was emergency paper currency issued by the Sendai Domain in direct response to the Tenmei famine of 1782–1788, one of the deadliest in Edo-period Japan. The northeastern Tohoku region, where Sendai sits, was among the hardest-hit areas. Crop failures from the 1783 Asama eruption and resulting ash fall devastated rice yields across multiple consecutive seasons, and the domain issued these notes to manage fiscal pressure and facilitate local exchange when hard currency effectively ceased to move.
The denomination itself — 3 monme 7 fun 5 rin — reflects the fractional silver-weight accounting system used in domain scrip, not the gold-based ryo system of Edo. Sendai han fuda of this period are among the more historically specific examples of Edo-period crisis currency.