Japan Edo Period Hansatsu – Tokushima Domain 1 Bu Samurai Note Banknote

Japan Edo Period Hansatsu – Tokushima Domain 1 Bu Samurai Note

Feudal-Era Currency – Early Japanese Scrip with Samurai Heritage

This authentic Hansatsu note hails from the Edo period (1603–1868) and was issued by the Tokushima Domain, one of Japan’s many feudal provinces. Denominated as 1 Bu, this rectangular samurai-era scrip is an extraordinary piece of Japanese monetary history Circulated before the Meiji-era modernization.

Key Features:

• Country: Japan (Tokugawa Shogunate – Edo Period)

• Issuer: Tokushima Domain

• Denomination: 1 Bu

• Type: Hansatsu (藩札) – Feudal Domainal Currency

• Material: Paper with calligraphy, seals, and decorative borders

• Era: Edo Period (likely late 18th to mid-19th century)

• Condition: Circulated / As issued (varies – original hand-applied ink & stamps)

• Size: Long vertical format (approx. 6" x 2" depending on issue)

• Text: Japanese Kanji script with official seals

• Purpose: Circulated for trade and samurai stipends within the Tokushima Domain

Hansatsu notes like this were issued by feudal lords (daimyō) and were often hand-stamped, signed, and imbued with cultural symbolism. They are rare survivors of Japan's pre-modern financial system and are prized by collectors of Asian antiquities, samurai-era artifacts, and early world banknotes.