or were the packets of cigarettes given out by the Japanese emperor. There were other kinds of special tobacco for relatives of the emperor and members of the Imperial Household. The production of the former came to an end in 1945. The production of Onshino Tabako finally ceased at the end of 2006, the last producer being the Japan Tobacco Company.
History
The exact origin of Onshino Tabako is unknown; what is known is that Onshino Tabako had been in existence since the Meiji era. Empress Shōken, consort of the Emperor Meiji, presented wounded soldiers at the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion with Onshino Tabako as gifts, according to formal records. During the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), the cigarettes were produced by Iwaya Shokai Company.
Between 1883 and 1904, Yanagiya at Nipponbashi produced shredded tobacco and since 1894, cigarettes. In 1894, the Iwaya Shokai was given permission to produce the Onshino Tabako which were given out to soldiers participating in the Sino-Japanese War. In 1904, its production went to the Tobacco Monopoly Agency. The production line of Iwaya Shokai went to the Tokyo First Tobacco Production Place, and in the same year, Imperial tobacco began to be produced not only exclusively for noblemen, such as Emperor Taishō and his relatives, but also for its original purposes. Imperial tobacco was made from special leaves of tobacco, while the Special tobacco for noblemen and gifts was made from the finest Fuji leaf; these were also produced with the utmost care manually. Emperor Taishō was a smoker and smoked his exclusively produced cigarettes, while Emperor Shōwa did not; the production of Imperial tobacco, however, continued.
The formal Onshino Tabako system was started in 1933. During the war years, it was included in the supplies of the army and navy, each order prepared by hand. The special cigarettes were even mentioned in a war song called "Sorano Yūshi" (Brave Men of the Skies) in 1939 which portrayed the Battles of Khalkhin Gol. On the packaging of Onshino Tabako was printed a character: 賜, meaning "gift from a noble man," and the chrysanthemum crest was on every cigarette. The taste of Onshino Tabako was reportedly the same as other cigarettes. According to some men who had tasted it, it was bitter, as opposed to sweet. It was not sold on the market, and was exclusively given to decorated persons, attendants at Imperial parties, visitors to and volunteers of Imperial House of Japan, and security men of the Imperial Household. The production of special tobacco for the relatives of Emperor Shōwa was discontinued by the order of the General Headquarters of Japan of the allied forces in 1945. However, Onshino Tobako as gifts continued to be produced.
On June 25, 1959, it was presented to every member of the Tokyo Giants and Osaka Tigers, professional baseball teams which played before Emperor Shōwa. According to the records of the National Diet, it was the same as Asahi Cigarettes (30 yen per 20 cigarettes; in 2010, it was 20 yen.). There had been another kind of tobacco for the guests of the Imperial Household Agency and Imperial relatives, and it had the crest of chrysanthemum with 14 petals, as opposed to formal 16.
Because of recent health findings that confirm that tobacco smoking is dangerous to one's health, Onshino Tabako was discontinued at the end of 2006. In its place, Onshino Konpeitō, a candy, is often presented.
Terminology of Imperial Household-related tobacco
The : tobacco for the Emperor, the Empress and the Empress Dowager. Its production started in 1873 by Sotoike Shozaburo (the name of the store was Yanagiya). The contract went to the Tobacco Monopoly Bureau in 1904, which started the production of tobacco for Emperor Meiji the same year and for the Empress in the fiscal 1906 year. At first, the leaves of tobacco were those stored in traditional houses since the Kanbun era (1661 - 1672) and other eras to Kansei era (1789 - 1800); since 1908, excellent tobacco producers and places had been selected, and the leaves were dried and stored at least for several years. The leaves were Kokubu (the name of place), Izumi, Tarumizu, Ibusuki, Maru, Mizufu, Taino and Kirigasa leaves. The last was used to soften the taste. All were excellent leaves in color, dryness and preparation.