Catalog
50 Yen
| Issuer | Japanese Government (Daijo-kan) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1872 |
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| Printer | Dondorf & Naumann, Frankfurt, Germany (1850-1932) |
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| Obverse description | Black intaglio on lilac underprint in a vertical format with strict bilateral symmetry; two confronted phoenix and dragon vignettes flank a central column of Japanese text denoting the denomination and issuing authority. A blue Ministry of Finance seal appears at upper left, with the denomination repeated in large characters at the outer vertical margins. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Blue intaglio vertical design maintaining bilateral symmetry; two Ministry of Finance seals printed in orange and green occupy the lateral fields, while a central column carries the denomination and issuing authority in Japanese characters. The serial number, rendered in traditional Japanese characters, appears at the top and bottom margins. |
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| Comments |
Japan's Meiji government contracted Dondorf & Naumann of Frankfurt to produce this note because no domestic capability existed yet to print secure currency at scale. Chiossone — the Genoese engraver who had worked for the American Bank Note Company before being recruited to Japan — handled both the design and engraving, an unusual consolidation of roles that reflects how tightly the Meiji officials supervised the project from a distance.
The Daijo-kan, the Grand Council of State, was dissolved in 1885. Notes issued under its authority were effectively relics of an administrative structure that no longer existed well before most of them left circulation.