Japan 2000 Yen note (日本銀行券 弐千円)

Discussion in 'Paper Money' started by ewomack, Jan 5, 2020.

  1. ewomack

    ewomack 魚の下着

    The Japanese 2000 Yen note apparently resembles the US $2 note in that it doesn't appear to circulate much anymore but it can still turn up very occasionally. It was printed to celebrate the millennium, hence the "2000" denomination, and though it circulated, apparently a lot of people hoarded it due to its novelty. It features Shurei gate on the front and a scene from Chapter 38 of "The Tale of Genji," which some scholars consider the world's first novel, on the back.

    2000Yen_01.png
    2000Yen_02.png

    Rough translations:

    Front, top to bottom

    日本銀行券 (Nipponginkōken) - Bank of Japan banknote
    弐千円 (nisen en) - 2000 Yen (I'm not sure why the alternate character for "two" (弐) appears rather than "二")
    日本銀行 (Nipponginkō) - Bank of Japan
    大葳省印刷局製造 (dalian Insatsu-kyoku seizō ) - Manufactured by Dalian Province Printing Bureau - I'm not sure if this is correct, but the translation came out this way, supposedly meaning "Dalian Province" in Liaoning, China? Does anyone know?)

    Back
    , bottom right
    紫式部
    (Murasaki Shikibu) - Also known as "Lady Murasaki," the author of "The Tale of Genji" - her portrait appears above this text
    To the right, it looks like a passage from "The Tale of Genji" appears in its original style handwriting. I can only make out a few characters here.

    The Printing Bureau lists this as a "Series-D" note, differing from the other currently circulating "Series-E" notes. Released on July 19, 2000, it still has quite a few impressive security features, but not quite as many as the "Series-E" notes. Here are a few.

    2000Yen_03.png
    Like all modern Japanese notes, this one also features a stunningly detailed watermark.

    2000Yen_04.png
    Latent printing appears when the note is tilted in direct light - also notice the microprinting towards the top of this image.

    2000Yen_05.png
    And more latent printing that displays "2000" when tilted - also notice to the right, above the thick line, the beginning of very tiny microprinting that says "nippon ginko." This runs across most of the bill's lower front.

    The red seals on front and back also use luminescent ink, which glows under UV light.

    The three black dots to extreme left and right front use textured ink for the visually impaired. Each denomination has a unique texture.

    I think that this bill only saw a short print run and it doesn't appear to have a "Series-E" equivalent, so it seems fair to say that no new 2000 Yen notes are being printed or circulated, but I'm not sure if that's accurate. Anyone who has seen any recently in circulation in Japan, please let me know. From what I could glean online, next to no one sees this bill in circulation anymore and now it's mostly considered a collectible.
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2020
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  3. happy_collector

    happy_collector Well-Known Member

    Thanks for your information about this very interesting banknote.
     
    ewomack likes this.
  4. ewomack

    ewomack 魚の下着

    I forgot to mention that, as of this moment, 2000 Yen equals US$18.53.
     
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