Special Exhibition :”From Domain Notes to Modern Banknotes – Eiichi Shibusawa, the Face of the New 10,000 Yen Note!”

March 16th, 2024 (Sat) – May 12th, 2024 (Sun)

On July 3rd of this year, a new “Bank of Japan note” will be issued for the first time in 20 years. The portrait of Eiichi Shibusawa has been chosen for the 10,000 yen note of this new banknote. Shibusawa is known for laying the foundation of modern Japanese economic society. He played a significant role in the issuance and circulation of paper money, including the issuance of domain, “han”, notes for the Hitotsubashi domain, the establishment of regulations such as the New Currency Regulations and the National Bank Regulations, and the founding of a Western paper manufacturing company.

This exhibition introduces the relationship between Shibusawa Eiichi and domain notes from the Edo period, also known as “han bills,” and modern banknotes denominated in yen, leading up to the present day. To circulate paper, a material with little inherent value, as currency, trust is paramount above all else. Let’s consider the familiar yet profound world of paper and banknotes.

Eiichi Shibusawa (70 years old / 1909): Shibusawa Memorial Museum Collection

A photograph used as a reference for the portrait on the new 10,000 yen note

Woodblock print “Comprehensive View of the First National Bank Tokyo at Kaiun Bridge, along with the neighboring city “

Han note making pattern paper, original paper for han notes, and han notes (Matsue han)