200 Yen

Features

Obverse

Imperial Seal of Japan (Chrysanthemum Seal) and denomination at center on a guilloche

Lettering:
記號　券換究行銀本日　記號　　見
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　本
日　　　　圓百貳　　　相金此
本　　　　　　　　　　渡貨券
銀　　　　　　　　　　可貳引
行　　　　　　　　　　申百換
　　　　　　　　　　　候圓に

造幣局刷印閣内府政國帝本日大　　　

Translation:
Bank of Japan convertible note
Mark (x2, in place of block number)　sample

This bill can be exchanged for two hundred yen in gold
Two hundred yen
Bank of Japan

Imperial Government of Japan Cabinet Printing Bureau

Reverse

Blank

Comments

Color: dark green with black text
Start of issue: 25th Apr. Shōwa 2 (1927)

Issued by the Bank of Japan (Nippon Ginko) in 1927, in response to the Shōwa financial crisis. The Bank of Japan needed bills to be exchanged with other banks, and began to issue new 200 yen notes in a hurry to insure against bank runs. With banks in the country all temporarily closed, the printing office took the opportunity to manufacture the new bills. The normal printing process could not be carried out as it took too long to print both sides of the note. To remedy this problem just one side received a simple design. These one sided bills were given the nickname Urashiro or "back white" notes. Although the backs of the new notes were blank, the Bank of Japan vice president confidently stated that: "although it looks somewhat flimsy, it has the Bank of Japan watermark so there is no fear that it is counterfeit". Despite his sentiment some of the notes were rejected as possible fakes due to their rough printing on the side that had features. Although 106,000 yen's worth of the 200 yen bill were reported to be in circulation at the end of 1927, by 1929 these notes were described as "almost nonexistent".

See also

• Coat of Arms
• Flower

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