The brand was launched in 1906. The brand has been known by the alias of "Bat" for a long time. After enforcement of the tobacco monopoly system in Japan, in September 1906 (Meiji 39), it was placed on the market by the then-Monopoly Bureau, the
Ministry of Finance (the forerunner of
"Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corporation"). In the present cigarette market, Golden Bat is famous for being the oldest brand in Japan as it reached its centennial in 2006. It used to feature a slender roll, and was manufactured for the general public. Although it is not as popular anymore, there are habitually ardent and deep-rooted smokers of it. That can be the reason leading to an exceptional long seller. As of July 2006, a 20-pack cost 140 yen and was known as the cheapest cigarette in Japan. It was taxed low due to using the low grade of tobacco leaves categorized into third class. Incidentally it was 4 sen (0.04
yen) per a 10-pack when it was put on the market in 1906. Since April 2016, however, tax increases were enforced and Golden Bat lost its preferential tax status. The background of using a bat as the brand, at first exported to China, in which a bat symbolized good luck, was being planned. As a product for export, it had been manufactured since 1905 (Meiji 38), a year earlier than domestic sale. The old-fashioned package that shows golden bats on a moss-green background is extensively known, and it is coming to be re-evaluated as a nostalgic design these days. Although the detail of the design was changed several times due to the extremely long history, the original design has been maintained for the most part. In 1940, because of the rise of Japanese ultranationalism the name of Golden Bat, which was based on English, was considered a "hostile word" and changed to "Kinshi", meaning golden kite. This name was based on the
mythology of
Emperor Jimmu, who was the first emperor of Japan. The packaging design was also changed along with it. At first, a golden kite perching on the edge of a
bow was depicted; in Japanese mythology, a kite perched on the edge of Jimmu's bow helped defeat his enemies by emitting rays of dazzling light. However, the bow was removed because it resulted in this nationalist mythological imagery being thrown away or stepped on. The brand changed its name back to Golden Bat in 1949. A filtered Golden Bat variant was sold nationwide in 1997. The package was redesigned to be modern, and TV commercials and advertisements were frequently shown. The price, quantity of tar and nicotine were almost the same as most other brands, and it was a kind of a new brand of the oldest tobacco brand of Japan; however, it was discontinued in May 2003. After that, in July 2004, although Golden Bat Box (tea flavor) and Golden Bat Menthol Box (cassis flavor) were put on the market in the
Miyagi Prefecture, these tobaccos also did not lead to stability of purchasing and were discontinued in February 2005. Appearance of the package was changed widely in 2005 because a new text warning was put on it. Habitual smokers of Golden Bat criticized it as destroying history; however, the design has changed afterwards, with silver paper and a tag. Also the roll size of the cigarettes was changed into the same size as the general ones, and both the roll and flavor became thicker than before. It used to have 18 mg of
tar and 1.1 mg of
nicotine, but during the 100th anniversary of the brand (which was in June 2016) the content has been lowered to 15 mg of tar and 1.0 mg of nicotine. ==Controversy==