JAPAN

Banknote

hansatsu

Iyonokuni

"Ozu Domain Note"

1 Momme

(1746)

FRONT

・豫大洲（Iyonokuni Ozu Domain）

・壹匁（1 Momme）

BACK

・延享三年丙寅（Enkyo 3, 1746）

・This type of clan note originally incorporated a watermark as an anti-counterfeiting feature. At a later stage, however, the watermarking process was discontinued, likely to reduce production costs. 

・Because this note retains its original watermark, it is considered to be an early issue.

・Ōzu Domain (大洲藩, Ōzu-han) was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now western Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It was centered around Ōzu Castle, and was ruled throughout its history by the tozama daimyō Katō clan. Ōzu Domain was dissolved in the abolition of the han system in 1871 and is now part of Ehime Prefecture.

🏯 Economy of the Ōzu Domain 🏯

Overview

　The Ōzu Domain, located in present-day Ōzu City, Ehime Prefecture, was ruled for most of the Edo period by the Katō clan. With an assessed kokudaka of about 60,000 koku, it was considered a mid-sized tozama domain.

Economic Foundations

1. Agriculture

・ Rice cultivation formed the backbone of the domain’s economy.

・ The fertile lands along the Hiji River were productive, but frequent floods posed significant challenges, making river control a constant issue for the domain.

2. Specialty Products and Cash Crops

・ The domain became known for its production of Ōzu washi (Japanese paper), wax (mokurō), and silk.

・ In the late Edo period, Ōzu was also one of the production centers of Iyo kasuri (a type of patterned cotton fabric), which became an important source of revenue.

3. Commerce and Distribution

・ Despite being inland, the domain benefited from the Hiji River, which allowed goods to be transported downstream to the Seto Inland Sea and then to Osaka and Hiroshima.

・ Merchants in the castle town, particularly those dealing in wax and paper, gained considerable economic influence.

4. Domain Finances

・ Like many mid-sized domains, Ōzu faced chronic financial difficulties.

・ The domain resorted to issuing hansatsu (domain paper currency) and enforcing austerity measures.

・ During the Tenpō era, reforms included reductions in samurai stipends and increased circulation of hansatsu to stabilize the finances.

Moves Toward Modernization

• In the late Edo period, the domain adopted Western-style gunnery and attempted to cast Western cannons.

• It also sought to strengthen its finances through domain-controlled enterprises and by promoting the production of specialty goods.

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