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Asia Β· Country guide Curated

Japan

The yen began in 1871, but Japan’s paper-money story reaches back centuries.

View 5 specimens Issue catalogue
Currency
Japanese yen JPY
Currency starts 1871
Paper-money timeline c. 1600
National / central issue Government notes from 1868
Current issuer Bank of Japan
The essential story

Start with the chronology, not the current issuer.

Japan’s banknote chronology must not begin with the Bank of Japan’s first note in 1885. Local paper instruments circulated around 1600, the Meiji government issued notes from 1868, and yen-denominated government issues followed the 1871 currency reform.

The Bank of Japan was founded in 1882 and issued its first noteβ€”the ten-yen Daikoku noteβ€”in May 1885. Modern lettered series begin only after that much longer pre-history.

History in layers

Banknote eras

Dates describe what began in each periodβ€”not necessarily when every note stopped circulating.

  1. c. 1600–1867

    Local notes and hansatsu

    Yamada Hagaki and later domain notes show that Japanese paper money existed long before the yen.

  2. 1868–1884

    Meiji government and national-bank notes

    Dajōkansatsu appeared in 1868; the yen was established in 1871 and Meiji Tsuho notes followed in 1872.

  3. 1885–1945

    Early Bank of Japan issues

    The Daikoku ten-yen note opened the central-bank era, followed by changing convertibility regimes and wartime designs.

  4. 1946–1953

    Series A and B

    Post-war Series A began in 1946. Series B denominations were first introduced between 1950 and 1953.

  5. 1957–1969

    Series C introductions

    The date range records when Series C denominations were first issuedβ€”not their complete circulation lifetime.

  6. 1984–2004

    Series D and E

    Series D arrived in 1984, the Β₯2,000 note in 2000, and Series E in 2004 with upgraded anti-counterfeit features.

  7. 3 July 2024

    Series F

    Shibusawa Eiichi, Tsuda Umeko and Kitasato Shibasaburo headline the current series; Hokusai’s Great Wave appears on the Β₯1,000 reverse.

Collector’s lens

Details worth cataloguing

Separate currency date from note date

JPY begins in 1871; Japanese paper money begins centuries earlier; Bank of Japan notes begin in 1885.

Series ranges are introduction windows

For Series B and C, the displayed span covers first issue dates across denominations, not the period all notes circulated.

Old does not mean invalid

The Bank of Japan lists many older types that remain valid even though they are no longer printed.

Useful variants

Record series, portrait, serial-number colour, printing authority imprint and legal-tender status.

Issue catalogue

Series and denominations

0 of 48 documented issues represented Β· generated 2026-07-26

This is a legacy catalogue. It predates the smaller historical research windows and independent chronology audit. Rebuild it before treating it as complete.
48 issues shown
JPY

Japanese Yen

1871-present

0/48 issues held
Meiji Era Issues 1885-1899 0/4
Missing 1 Yen P-20 Daikokuten (God of Wealth) First standardized Bank of Japan note
Missing 5 Yen P-21 Sugawara no Michizane Scholar and deity of learning
Missing 10 Yen P-22 Wa-ka-no-ura scenic view Famous coastal landscape
Missing 100 Yen P-23 Fujiwara no Kamatari Statesman and founder of Fujiwara clan
Late Meiji Series 1899-1910 0/3
Missing 5 Yen P-34 Sugawara no Michizane Revised design with improved security
Missing 10 Yen P-30 Wa-ka-no-ura view Enhanced engraving quality
Missing 100 Yen P-35 Fujiwara no Kamatari Updated security features
Taisho Era Issues 1915-1930 0/3
Missing 10 Yen P-40 Wa-ka-no-ura scenic design Taisho reign modifications
Missing 100 Yen P-41 Fujiwara no Kamatari Continued classic design
Missing 200 Yen P-42 Fujiwara no Kamatari Rare high denomination
Early Showa Series (Pre-War) 1930-1942 0/3
Missing 5 Yen P-55 Sugawara no Michizane Pre-WWII circulation
Missing 10 Yen P-51 Phoenix and paulownia Traditional Japanese motifs
Missing 100 Yen P-56 Fujiwara no Kamatari Last pre-war 100 Yen design
Wartime Issues 1942-1945 0/5
Missing 10 Sen P-53 Yasukuni Shrine Small denomination for inflation
Missing 50 Sen P-59 Yasukuni Shrine Wartime emergency issue
Missing 1 Yen P-54 Yasukuni Shrine Simplified wartime design
Missing 5 Yen P-55a Mt. Fuji Wartime variant
Missing 10 Yen P-56a Diet Building Government symbolism
Post-War Occupation Period 1945-1950 0/6
Missing 10 Sen P-84 Dove Peace symbolism post-surrender
Missing 50 Sen P-60 Asahi (Morning Sun) Simplified Allied-approved design
Missing 1 Yen P-85 Ninomiya Sontoku statue Philosopher and agricultural reformer
Missing 5 Yen P-86 Shotoku Taishi Prince and cultural hero
Missing 10 Yen P-87 Diet Building Democratic institution symbol
Missing 100 Yen P-88 Shotoku Taishi Higher denomination with prince portrait
Series 1950-1953 (Post-Occupation) 1950-1953 0/4
Missing 50 Yen P-78 Takahashi Korekiyo Finance minister and statesman
Missing 100 Yen P-89 Itagaki Taisuke Founder of liberal party movement
Missing 500 Yen P-90 Iwakura Tomomi Meiji statesman
Missing 1,000 Yen P-91 Shotoku Taishi First 1,000 Yen note
Series B (1957-1969) 1957-1969 0/4
Missing 500 Yen P-92 Iwakura Tomomi Redesigned with enhanced security
Missing 1,000 Yen P-93 Ito Hirobumi First Prime Minister of Japan
Missing 5,000 Yen P-94 Shotoku Taishi Highest denomination introduced
Missing 10,000 Yen P-95 Shotoku Taishi New highest denomination for economic growth
Series C (1963-1969) 1963-1969 0/1
Missing 1,000 Yen P-96 Ito Hirobumi Series C design variant
Series D (1984-1993) 1984-1993 0/4
Missing 500 Yen P-97 Iwakura Tomomi Last 500 Yen note before coin replacement
Missing 1,000 Yen P-97d Natsume Soseki Famous novelist, first non-politician
Missing 5,000 Yen P-96b Nitobe Inazo Educator and author of 'Bushido'
Missing 10,000 Yen P-97b Fukuzawa Yukichi Enlightenment thinker and educator
Series E (2000-2004) 2000-2004 0/4
Missing 2,000 Yen P-103 Shureimon Gate (Okinawa) Commemorative for 2000 G8 Summit, rarely used
Missing 1,000 Yen P-100 Natsume Soseki Updated security features
Missing 5,000 Yen P-101 Nitobe Inazo Enhanced holographic security
Missing 10,000 Yen P-102 Fukuzawa Yukichi Advanced anti-counterfeiting measures
Series E Revised (2004-2024) 2004-2024 0/4
Missing 1,000 Yen P-104 Noguchi Hideyo Bacteriologist, first scientist featured
Missing 2,000 Yen P-103 Shureimon Gate Continued circulation though uncommon
Missing 5,000 Yen P-105 Higuchi Ichiyo First woman on modern Japanese currency
Missing 10,000 Yen P-106 Fukuzawa Yukichi Continued as highest denomination
Series F (2024-present) 2024 0/3
Missing 1,000 Yen Kitasato Shibasaburo Microbiologist who discovered tetanus bacillus
Missing 5,000 Yen Tsuda Umeko Pioneer in women's education in Japan
Missing 10,000 Yen Shibusawa Eiichi Father of Japanese capitalism, founded 500+ companies
Primary reading

Official and institutional sources

Curated profile reviewed 2026-07-29.

  1. 01 Bank of Japan: history of note issuance
  2. 02 Currency Museum historical timeline
  3. 03 National Printing Bureau note catalogue
  4. 04 Current Bank of Japan notes
  5. 05 Validity of older Japanese notes
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