5 sen note

Five sen notes were first issued towards the end of World War II as supplies had run out to produce more five sen coins.[1] These coins were initially produced in Aluminium bronze after the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out in 1937. The alloy for the five sen coin was changed to Aluminium, and eventually to tin as materials were needed for military supplies. Coins made out of tin were first produced in March 1944, and eventually the Japanese government needed more.[2] The Second Sino-Japanese War had become part of World War II, and allied forces were inching closer to victory. Although the Japanese could obtain the alloy from their still occupied Southwest Asian[lower-alpha 1] colonies, allied air superiority and control over the seas made the transport of tin difficult.[1][3] Five sen notes were first issued on November 1, 1944 with a design featuring Kusunoki Masashige on the front.[4][5] The depiction of this Kamakura period samurai led to the first series being known as "Masashige notes".[6] The design on the back has the Government Seal of Japan also known as the "Paulownia Seals" after the Paulownia flower. These notes were issued in large amounts due to rising inflation.[6]

The last "5 sen" notes were issued on May 25, 1948 as part of the "A series".[7][8] These are notable for being the smallest sized banknotes ever issued by the Japanese government at 48mm x 94mm.[8] The front design features the Ume ("Japanese plum") flower, while the reverse shows the value "5 Sen" in Latin script. In order to curb post-war inflation, the Bank of Japan invalidated all banknotes worth over a yen and issued new notes.[9] Those in the "A series" with the exception of the 100 yen note were all poorly made due to post-war turmoil.[9] Five sen notes of the "A series" were printed by two different private sector companies which led to "big differences" and counterfeiting.[9] These notes eventually lost their meaning as the worsening inflation did not subside.[10] Both of these issues were eventually demonetized at the end of 1953 when the Japanese government passed a law abolishing subsidiary notes in favor of the yen.[11] Currencies of less than one yen were rarely used by this time due to excessive post-war inflation.[12]

Both of these banknotes are now bought and sold as collectibles depending on condition. Five sen "series A" (1948) banknotes are slightly more scarce than their counterparts, though both were produced in large amounts.[6] Five sen notes in general are common and inexpensive as there are a large amount of surviving examples. Notes made in error such as those with a cutting misalignment, those with missing design features, and those with unusual ink leakage carry a much higher value.[13][14]

• Banknotes of the Japanese yen
• Bank of Japan
• Japanese military currency (1894–1918)
• Taiwanese stamp currency