Matthew Patay's
Note of the Month

 February 2008

 

Map and flag images provided by Graphic Maps

This month's featured note is from Japan.
The denomination is 2,000 Yen and the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money (SCWPM) Number is P-103. 

The note is not dated but was issued in (2000).

(front)

The banknote is slate, green and brown on multicolored underprint.  This is a year 2000 issue commemorating the G-8 Economic Summit in Okinawa.  The Shureimon Gate in Naha, Okinawa is at right.

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The following information was obtained from:
Wikipedia the online Encyclopedia

Shureimon Gate
(For the full article, please refer to the link above.)

Shureimon (or Shureinomon) is a gate in the Shuri neighborhood of Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is the second of Shuri Castle's main gates. It was built in the 16th century

The gate reflects strong Chinese influence, alongside indigenous religious traditions. The four Chinese characters framed on the gate - Shu, rei, no, and kuni, which mean 'Land of Propriety' - were added to the gate long after it was built. The structure of the gate is similar to that of Chinese three-bay turret gates, and is covered with a red hip-and-gable tiled roof.

The main columns are 7.94 meters apart. The top layer of the gate is 7.05 meters high, and the lower layer 5.11 meters. The 4 pillars stand on foundation stones, and they are supported on front and back by slanting accessory pillars for better stability.

A picture of the gate appears on the Japanese 2,000 yen note, released in 2000 in commemoration of the G8 Economic Summit in Okinawa.

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The following information was obtained from:
Wikipedia the online Encyclopedia

Shuri Castle
(For the full article, please refer to the link above.)

Shuri Castle is a gusuku (Ryūkyūan castle) in Shuri, Okinawa. It was the palace of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was almost completely destroyed, with only a few walls standing as high as a few decimeters. In 1992, it was reconstructed on the original site based on photographs, historical records, and memory.

History

The date of construction is uncertain, but clearly it was in use as a castle during the Sanzan period. It is thought that it was probably built during the Gusuku period, like the other castles of Okinawa. When King Shū Hashi unified the three sections of Okinawa and established the Ryūkyū Kingdom, he used Shuri Castle as a residence. At the same time, Shuri flourished as the capital, and continued to do so during the second Sho dynasty.

For 450 years from the beginning of the 15th century, it was the royal court and administrative center of the Ryūkyūan Kingdom. It was the focal point of foreign trade, as well as the political, economical and cultural heart of the Ryūkyūs.

According to records, Shuri Castle burned several times, and was reconstructed each time. Before the war, it was designated a National Treasure, but during the war, the Japanese military set up its headquarters underground at the castle, and beginning on May 25, 1945, the American battleship Missouri and others shelled it for three days. On May 27 it burned.

After the war, the University of the Ryūkyūs moved to the castle site. In 1958, the Shureimon gate was rebuilt, and in 1992, the main building of the castle was reconstructed. At present, the entire area around the castle has been established as Shuri Castle Park. In 2000, along with other gusuku and related sites, it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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(back)
A scene from Genji Monogatari (Tale of Genji) is on back.

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The following information was obtained from:
The Costume Museum

The Tale of Genji
(For the full article, please refer to the link above.)

The Classical Story of Japan

Makura-no-soshi was written by Seisho Nagon in the same period.

Author

Murasaki Shikibu. The daughter of Fujiwara Tametoki.

Date of creation

About the year 1000 during the Heian Period.

Overview

The Tale of Genji centers on the life and loves of a handsome son, Hikaru Genji, born to an Emperor during the Heian Period.

In the story, the beloved concubine of the Emperor gives birth to Genji and dies soon after. Raised within the Royal Family, Genji has his first illicit affair with Fujitsubo, the young wife of the Emperor. She gives birth to a boy who was raised by the unknowing Emperor as his own son. Although feeling guilt because of this affair Genji goes on to have numerous other affairs with other court ladies including Utsusemi, Yugao, Murasaki-no-ue, and Hanachirusato. At one point, Genji's adultery with a lady of the opposite faction results in his being exiled for a period to Suma After a short time, he returns to the capital, where he rises further in status and position being appointed to high official ranking reaching the apogee of his career. However, his newly wed young bride, Onna-Sannomiya, has an illicit affair that results in a child, Kaoru, reminding Genji of his own similar past actions. Then Murasaki-no-ue, Genji's real love and wife, in fact, if not in law, of more than twenty years, passes away. Left in deep despondence Genji decides to leave the capital to enter a small mountain temple.

Structure of Story

Composed of 54 chapters, The Tale of Genji is broadly divided into three sections. The first part of thirty-three chapters concerns itself with the first half of Genji's life starting with Chapter Kiritsubo and ending with Chapter Fuji-no-uraba (Arthur Waley's translation of The Tale of Genji, Part 1 Chapter 1 to Part 4 Chapter 5). The second portion begins with the marriage of Onna-Sannomiya to a commoner in Chapter Wakana Part I (Ibid., Part 4 Chapter 6) and ends with Chapter Mirage (Ibid., Part 4 Chapter 12). There is a chapter following this that is entitled "Hidden Behind the Clouds" which has no text. This chapter is not found in The Tale of Genji.

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For more information about Japan visit:

TThe CIA World Factbook

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