Banknotes of the Japanese yen

The banknotes of the Japanese yen are part of the physical form of Japan's currency. Modern banknotes were first released by the Bank of Japan in 1885, three years after the Japanese government established a centralized bank. Throughout their history, the denominations have ranged from 0.05 yen to 10,000 yen. All of notes worth more than 1 yen, and printed since 1946 are still legal tender.

A series D 1000 yen note, featuring the portrait of Natsume Sōseki. It has been replaced by the series E 1000 yen note since November 1, 2004.

Currently, portraits of people from the Meiji period and later are printed on Japanese banknotes. The reason for this is that from the point of view of preventing counterfeiting, it is desirable to use an accurate photograph as the original for a portrait, rather than a painting.[1][2]

Meiji era

1885–1887

Daikokuten (1885–87)
Image		Value	Dimensions	Description		Date of
Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Obverse	Reverse	Issue	Issue suspension	Expiration
		¥1	78 × 135 mm[3][4]	Daikokuten	Silver obligation	September 8, 1885[3][4]	October 1, 1958[3][4]	Valid[3][4]
	—	¥5	87 × 152 mm[5]	Silver obligation	Daikokuten	January 4, 1886[5][6]	—	March 31, 1939[5]
		¥10	93 × 156 mm	Daikokuten	Silver obligation	May 9, 1887	—	March 31, 1945
		¥100	116 × 186 mm	Daikokuten	Silver obligation	September 8, 1887	—	March 31, 1945

1888–1891

Remodeled convertible banknotes (1888–91)
Image		Value	Dimensions	Description		Date of
Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Obverse	Reverse	Issue	Issue suspension	Expiration
—	—	¥1	85 X 145 mm[5]	Takenouchi no Sukune	Silver obligation	May 1, 1889[5]	October 1, 1958[5]	Valid[5]
	—	¥5	95 X 159 mm[7]	Sugawara no Michizane	Silver obligation	December 3, 1888[7]	—	March 31, 1939[7]
	—	¥10	100 X 169 mm	Wake no Kiyomaro	Silver obligation	September 12, 1890	—	March 31, 1925
	—	¥100	130 X 210 mm	Fujiwara no Kamatari	Silver obligation	November 15, 1891	—	March 31, 1945

1899–1900

Convertible Banknote A (1899–1900)
Image		Value	Dimensions	Description		Date of
Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Obverse	Reverse	Issue	Issue suspension	Expiration
	—	¥5	85 X 146 mm[8]	Takenouchi no Sukune and Ube Shrine	Gold obligation	April 1, 1899[9]	—	March 31, 1939[8][10]
		¥10	96 X 159 mm	Wake no Kiyomaro and Goou shrine	Wild Boar design with gold obligation	October 1, 1899	—	March 31, 1939
	—	¥100	130 X 210 mm	Fujiwara no Kamatari and Tanzan Shrine	Gold obligation	1900	1913	March 31, 1939

1910

Convertible Banknote B (1910)
Image		Value	Dimensions	Description		Date of
Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Obverse	Reverse	Issue	Issue suspension	Expiration
	—	¥5	78 X 136 mm[11]	Sugawara no Michizane	Kitano Tenmangū shrine with convertible wording	September 1, 1910[8][12]	—	March 31, 1939[8]

Taishō era

1915–1917

Taishō convertible banknotes (1915–17)
Image		Value	Dimensions	Description		Date of
Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Obverse	Reverse	Issue	Issue suspension	Expiration
	—	¥1	85 X 145 mm[3][4]	Takenouchi no Sukune	Silver obligation	August 15, 1916[3][4]	October 1, 1958[3][4]	Valid[3][4]
—	—	¥5	73 X 130 mm[13]	Takenouchi no Sukune and Ube shrine	Convertible wording	December 15, 1916[8]	February, 1927[14]	March 31, 1939[8]
	—	¥10	89 X 139 mm	Wake no Kiyomaro and Goou shrine	Convertible wording	May 1, 1915	—	March 31, 1939
	—	¥20	86 X 149 mm	Sugawara no Michizane	Kitano Tenmangu shrine	November 20, 1917	—	March 31, 1939

Shōwa era

1946–1948

Series A (1946–48)
Image		Value	Dimensions	Description		Date of
Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Obverse	Reverse	Issue	Issue suspension	Expiration
		¥0.05	94 × 48 mm	Prunus mume blossoms	Geometric patterns	May 25, 1948	December 31, 1953	June 30, 1954
		¥0.1	100 × 52 mm	Pigeons	The Diet building	September 5, 1947	December 31, 1953	June 30, 1954
		¥1	124 × 68 mm	Ninomiya Sontoku	Geometric patterns	March 19, 1946	October 1, 1958	Valid
		¥5	132 × 68 mm	Geometric patterns		March 5, 1946	April 1, 1955
		¥10	140 × 76 mm	The Diet building		February 25, 1946	April 1, 1955
		¥100	162 × 93 mm	Prince Shōtoku, "Yumedono" (A hall associated with Prince Shōtoku in Hōryū-ji Temple)	Hōryū-ji Temple	February 25, 1946	July 5, 1956
For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

1950–1953

Series B (1950–53)[4]
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Color	Description		Date of
Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Main Color	Obverse	Reverse	Issue	Issue suspension
		¥50	144 × 68 mm	Orange	Takahashi Korekiyo	The headquarters of the Bank of Japan	December 1, 1951	October 1, 1958
		¥100	148 × 76 mm	Brown-orange	Itagaki Taisuke	The Diet building	December 1, 1953	August 1, 1974
		¥500	156 × 76 mm	Dark blue	Iwakura Tomomi	Mount Fuji	April 2, 1951	January 4, 1971
		¥1000	164 × 76 mm	Grey	Prince Shōtoku	"Yumedono"	January 7, 1950	January 4, 1965
For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

Series B introduced a new high value banknote ¥1000.

1957–1969

Series C (1957–69)[4]
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Color	Description		Date of
Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Main Color	Obverse	Reverse	Issue	Issue suspension
		¥500	159 × 72 mm	Blue	Iwakura Tomomi	Mount Fuji	November 1, 1969	April 1, 1994
		¥1000	164 × 76 mm	Yellow-green	Itō Hirobumi	The headquarters of the Bank of Japan	November 1, 1963	January 4, 1986
		¥5000	169 × 80 mm	Green-brown	Prince Shōtoku	The headquarters of the Bank of Japan	October 1, 1957	January 4, 1986
		¥10,000	174 × 84 mm	Brown-green	Prince Shōtoku	A pillar painting of Hōō in Byōdō-in Temple	December 1, 1958	January 4, 1986
For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

The series C introduced two new high value banknotes ¥5000 and ¥10,000.

1984

Series D (1984)[4]
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Color	Description		Date of
Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Main Color	Obverse	Reverse	Issue	Issue suspension
		¥1000	150 × 76 mm	Blue	Natsume Sōseki	Pair of cranes	November 1, 1984	April 2, 2007
		¥5000	155 × 76 mm	Purple	Nitobe Inazō	Mount Fuji, Lake Motosu
		¥10,000	160 × 76 mm	Brown	Fukuzawa Yukichi	Pair of pheasants
For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

Due to the discovery of a large number of counterfeit Series D banknotes at the end of 2004, all Series D banknotes except ¥2000 were virtually suspended on January 17, 2005,[15] and officially suspended on April 2, 2007.[16] According to a news release [17] from the National Police Agency, they seized 11,717 counterfeit Series D banknotes (excluding the ¥2000 denomination) in 2005. However, they seized only 486 counterfeit current issue banknotes, namely Series E ¥1000, ¥5000, ¥10,000, and Series D ¥2000.

Heisei era

2000

Series D (2000)[4]
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Color	Description		Date of issue
Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Main Color	Obverse	Reverse	Date of issue
		¥2000	154 × 76 mm	Green	Shurei-mon	Scene from the Tale of Genji and portrait of Murasaki Shikibu	July 19, 2000
For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

2000 yen note with The Tale of Genji and Murasaki Shikibu on the right corner

This is the current issue. The 2000 yen note was first issued on July 19, 2000, to commemorate the 26th G8 summit in Okinawa and the 2000 millennium year as well. Pictured on the front of the note is Shureimon, a famous gate in Naha, Okinawa near the site of the summit. The other side features a scene from The Tale of Genji and the author Murasaki Shikibu on the lower right corner. The motif of the scene was taken from the 12th century illuminated handscrolls of the novel kept at the Tokugawa Art Museum in Nagoya. The image of Murasaki Shikibu is taken from the Gotoh edition of the Murasaki Shikibu Diary Emaki held at the Gotoh Museum.

Many Japanese consider the 2000 yen note a novelty as it is the only Japanese denomination whose first digit is 2. To promote the circulation of the notes, some companies had started paying wages in them. The series D is the first to display the EURion constellation.

2004

Series E (2004)[4]
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Color	Description		Date of issue
Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Main Color	Obverse	Reverse	Date of issue
		¥1000	150 × 76 mm	Blue	Noguchi Hideyo	Mount Fuji, Lake Motosu and cherry blossoms	November 1, 2004
		¥5000	156 × 76 mm	Purple	Higuchi Ichiyō	Kakitsubata-zu (Painting of irises, a work by Ogata Kōrin)
		¥10,000	160 × 76 mm	Brown	Fukuzawa Yukichi	Statue of hōō (phoenix) from Byōdō-in Temple
For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

This is the current issue. The EURion constellation pattern can be observed on the series E.

Reiwa era

2024

On April 9, 2019, Finance Minister Tarō Asō announced new designs for the ¥1000, ¥5000, and ¥10,000 notes, for use beginning in 2024.[18] The ¥1000 bill will feature Kitasato Shibasaburō and The Great Wave off Kanagawa, the ¥5000 bill will feature Tsuda Umeko and wisteria flowers, and the ¥10,000 bill will feature Shibusawa Eiichi and Tokyo Station.

Series F (2024, scheduled)
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Color	Description		Date of issue
Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Main Color	Obverse	Reverse	Date of issue
		¥1000	150 × 76 mm	Blue	Kitasato Shibasaburō	The Great Wave off Kanagawa (from Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series by Hokusai)	2024, scheduled
		¥5000	156 × 76 mm	Purple	Tsuda Umeko	wisteria flowers
		¥10,000	160 × 76 mm	Brown	Shibusawa Eiichi	Tokyo Station (Marunouchi side)
For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

References

紙幣の肖像の選定理由を教えてください (in Japanese). Ministry of Finance. Japan. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021.
紙幣肖像の変遷（2019年4月） (in Japanese). Jiji Press. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021.
"One Yen Tickets". boj.or.jp. Bank of Japan. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
"Valid Bank of Japan Notes" (PDF). Bank of Japan. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2009. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
"大黒天五圓古紙幣の価値". Antique Coin Info (in Japanese). Retrieved February 13, 2020.
"旧兌換銀行券を高く売るには【参考買取価格あり】". Octopus Maro (in Japanese). Retrieved February 13, 2021.
"菅原道真五圓札の価値と相場". Antique Coin Info (in Japanese). Retrieved February 13, 2020.
"日本の5円札(五圓)の価値と買取相場". Antique Coin Info (in Japanese). Retrieved February 14, 2020.
Japanese modern banknote overview (in Japanese). Bonanza. 1984. p. 182.
"甲号兌換銀行券の歴史について". Kosen Kaitori (in Japanese). Retrieved February 14, 2021.
"透し大黒5円札の買取相場(価値)と概要". Kosen Kaitori (in Japanese). Retrieved February 15, 2021.
The Japan Financial and Economic Monthly. Liberal news agency. 1910. p. 15. ( July 1910 ) Five yen notes were renewed , and new paper notes appeared on September ist. It is said that the 5 yon notes of the previous form were changed because they had been subject to counterfeit.
"大正兌換銀行券について". Kosen Kaitori (in Japanese). Retrieved February 16, 2021.
"丙5円券". Buntetsu (in Japanese). Retrieved February 15, 2021.
"偽造旧一万円券大量発生に伴う対処方針". www.boj.or.jp. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007.
一万円券、五千円券および千円券の今後の支払について：日本銀行 Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
"偽造通貨の発見枚数". www.npa.go.jp. Archived from the original on August 10, 2007.
"Japan announces new ¥10,000, ¥5,000 and ¥1,000 bank notes as Reiwa Era looms". Japan Times. April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2019.

External links

List of banknotes valid in Japan
Currency Museum of the Bank of Japan
Museum of Bank notes and Coins (in Japanese)

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[1] 紙幣の肖像の選定理由を教えてください (in Japanese). Ministry of Finance. Japan. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021.

[2] 紙幣肖像の変遷（2019年4月） (in Japanese). Jiji Press. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021.

[BOJ18852-3] "One Yen Tickets". boj.or.jp. Bank of Japan. Retrieved January 18, 2021.

[BOJVN-4] "Valid Bank of Japan Notes" (PDF). Bank of Japan. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2009. Retrieved December 14, 2022.

[AC1886D-5] "大黒天五圓古紙幣の価値". Antique Coin Info (in Japanese). Retrieved February 13, 2020.

[OM1886-6] "旧兌換銀行券を高く売るには【参考買取価格あり】". Octopus Maro (in Japanese). Retrieved February 13, 2021.

[AC1888-7] "菅原道真五圓札の価値と相場". Antique Coin Info (in Japanese). Retrieved February 13, 2020.

[AC1899-8] "日本の5円札(五圓)の価値と買取相場". Antique Coin Info (in Japanese). Retrieved February 14, 2020.

[9] Japanese modern banknote overview (in Japanese). Bonanza. 1984. p. 182.

[KKai18992-10] "甲号兌換銀行券の歴史について". Kosen Kaitori (in Japanese). Retrieved February 14, 2021.

[KKai1910-11] "透し大黒5円札の買取相場(価値)と概要". Kosen Kaitori (in Japanese). Retrieved February 15, 2021.

[12] The Japan Financial and Economic Monthly. Liberal news agency. 1910. p. 15. ( July 1910 ) Five yen notes were renewed , and new paper notes appeared on September ist. It is said that the 5 yon notes of the previous form were changed because they had been subject to counterfeit.

[KKai1916-13] "大正兌換銀行券について". Kosen Kaitori (in Japanese). Retrieved February 16, 2021.

[Bun1910&1916-14] "丙5円券". Buntetsu (in Japanese). Retrieved February 15, 2021.

[15] "偽造旧一万円券大量発生に伴う対処方針". www.boj.or.jp. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007.

[16] 一万円券、五千円券および千円券の今後の支払について：日本銀行 Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

[17] "偽造通貨の発見枚数". www.npa.go.jp. Archived from the original on August 10, 2007.

[18] "Japan announces new ¥10,000, ¥5,000 and ¥1,000 bank notes as Reiwa Era looms". Japan Times. April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2019.