5 Fun Hagi Domain

Hagi Domain — the political heartland of Chōshū han — issued its own paper currency under the han-satsu system, which allowed feudal domains to circulate notes within their own territorial boundaries. These notes functioned as a parallel economy to the Tokugawa bakufu's metallic coinage, and the Mōri clan's domain was among the more prolific issuers, with series spanning well over a century of continuous use.

By 1753, han-satsu had been in regional circulation for decades, but Chōshū's fiscal management was notably aggressive — the domain was perpetually in debt, and paper issue was one lever among several used to manage chronic shortfalls. The official stamp served as the primary authentication device, since counterfeiting of domain notes was a persistent problem across Tokugawa Japan.