1 Yen JPN Banknote (1945–1946 Issue) 1945

1 Yen Yen (Issued 1945)

Few banknotes in twentieth-century monetary history carry the same charged geopolitical weight as the Allied Military Currency issued for Japan in 1945, and a currency specialist examining this note would immediately recognise it as a tangible artefact of the post-war occupation period. Produced under the authority of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers rather than the Bank of Japan, it represents a deliberate suspension of Japanese monetary sovereignty at one of the most consequential turning points in modern history. The note’s bilingual design — blending English text with Japanese script characters — reflects the administrative compromise of the occupation administration, making it visually unlike any note issued by the Japanese state itself. For those engaged in the study of military scrip or occupation currency, this 1 Yen example from the 1945–1946 issue is an immediately identifiable piece.

On the front, the note is dominated by a striking blue and teal wave or guilloché pattern that fills the entire central field, creating a rippling, layered background of fine parallel undulating lines in varying shades of aquamarine and sky blue. There is no portrait on this note; instead, the design is text and numeral driven, consistent with Allied Military Currency conventions. The words “ONE YEN” are printed in bold green capital letters across the lower-centre of the note, and a large green numeral “1” appears in the lower-right corner within a circular cartouche. In the upper portion of the note, two Chinese or Japanese script characters — the denomination in Japanese script — are printed in green, prominently positioned above the serial number. A further Japanese script character appears within a decorative oval cartouche on the left-hand side, rendered in green against the engraved scrollwork surround. The serial number “A 02709820 A” is printed in bold black typeface centrally across the note. At the very top, within a dark border panel, the words “MILITARY CURRENCY” are printed in white capital serif lettering. At the bottom centre, a rectangular panel contains two Japanese script characters in white on a dark ground, reading as the Japanese term for military note. Small text reading “SERIES 100” appears near the lower centre field. The border is formed by a dark brown engraved frame of fine geometric and scrollwork patterns, with ornate corner flourishes. The overall colour palette of the front is a vivid contrast of blue-green guilloché against dark brown engraved borders.

The reverse is printed entirely in a deep reddish-brown or burgundy ink on cream-coloured paper. The central design is an elaborate engraved composition of baroque scrollwork, large acanthus leaf forms, and curling decorative foliage rendered with fine crosshatching and intricate line engraving. A stylised creature, possibly a dragon or mythological beast, appears to emerge from the upper-left portion of the central composition, its body rendered in the same reddish-brown engraving against the detailed scrollwork background. The left-hand border features a vertical column of repeating circular ornamental motifs. In the upper portion of the reverse, a line of Japanese script characters runs horizontally in white against a dark panel, describing the military proclamation authority under which the note was issued. Beneath the main engraved composition, a decorative banner panel contains the words “ISSUED PURSUANT TO MILITARY PROCLAMATION” in bold white serif capital lettering, flanked by small ornamental flourishes. The entire reverse is enclosed within a fine engraved border of repeated geometric patterning, and the paper displays a clean, slightly off-white tone with the reddish-brown ink providing strong tonal contrast throughout.

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