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MonmeFun Rin Silver
| Issuer | Tokyo Kawase Kaisha |
|---|---|
| Year | 1869 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Vertically formatted note printed on thin paper with a woodblock-style design. The upper portion carries a red oval seal impression, with vertical columns of kanji inscriptions running the length of the note indicating the issuer and denomination. The lower section bears a rectangular cartouche enclosing additional kanji text, framed by stylized dragon or floral border ornaments at top and bottom. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Vertically oriented reverse with a bold red circular seal impression dominating the lower half, serving as an authenticating stamp. The upper portion contains a rectangular inset panel with kanji text, and vertical inscriptions run along the central axis of the note within a ruled border, with woodblock-engraved decorative corner and border motifs framing the entire field. |
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| Comments |
The Tokyo Kawase Kaisha was one of eight exchange companies (kawase kaisha) established by the Meiji government in 1869 as part of its first attempt to build a modern commercial banking infrastructure — before the National Bank Act of 1872 rendered them obsolete. These companies were authorized to issue their own notes, backed theoretically by specie, and this monme-fun denominated paper belongs to that brief, chaotic window when Japan was simultaneously dismantling the Tokugawa monetary order and improvising a replacement.
The monme-fun system itself was already archaic by 1869, a silver-weight denomination tied to pre-Meiji coinage conventions. The exchange companies were liquidated within a few years, and most of their notes were withdrawn. Survivors are accordingly rare.