Kan'ei
Appearance
Kan'ei (Japanese:寛永) was a Japanese era name (年号, nengō, lit. year name) after Genna and before Shōhō. This period spanned the years from 1624 through 1643. The reigning emperors were Go-Mizunoo-tennō (後水尾天皇), Meishō-tennō (明正天皇) and Go-Kōmyō-tennō (後光明天皇).
Change of era
- Kan'ei gannen (寛永元年) or Kan'ei 1 (1624): The era name was changed to mark the start of a new cycle of the Chinese zodiac. The previous era ended and a new one commenced in Genna 9, on the 30th day of the 2nd month. This era name is derived from 寛広、永長 (meaning "Broad Leniency, Eternal Leader")
Events of the Kan'ei Era
- Kan'ei gannen or Kan'ei 1 (1629): Construction on the "Fo-ye-zan" temple began.[1]
- Kan'ei 3, on the 16th day of the 9th month (November 4, 1626): Emperor Go-Mizunoo and Chūgo visited to Nijō Castle; and they were accompanied by Princes of the Blood, place ladies and kuge. Among the precedents for this was the Tenshō era visit of Emperor Go-Yōozei to Hideyoshi's extravagant Heian-kyo mansion, Juraku-dai (which Hideyoshi himself would tear down in the 12th month of Bunroku 2).[2]
- Kan'ei 6 (1627): The "Purple Clothes Incident" (紫衣事件, shi-e jiken): The Emperor was accused of having bestowed honorific purple garments to more than ten priests despite the shogun's edict which banned them for two years (probably in order to break the bond between the Emperor and religious circles). The shogunate intervened making the bestowing of the garments invalid.
- Kan'ei 6, on the 8th day of the 11th month (1629): The emperor renounced the throne in favor of his daughter, "Kió si."[3]
- Kan'ei 9, on the 24th day of the 1st month (1632): Former Shogun Hidetada died.[4]
- Kanei 10, on the 20th day of the 1st month (1633): There was an earthquake in Odawara in the Sagami.[5]
- Kanei 11, in the 7th month (1634): Shogun Iemitsu appeared at Court in Miyako; and he visited ex-emperor Go-Mizunoo (August 27th).[6]
- Kanei 12 (1635): An ambassador from the King of Korea is received in Miyako.[7]
- Kanei 14 (1637): There is a major Christian rebellion in Arima and Shimbara; and shogunal forces are sent to quell the disturbance.[8]
- Kanei 15 (1638): The Christian revolt is crushed; and 37,000 of the rebels are killed. The Christian religion is extirpated in Japan. [9]
- Kanei 17 (1640): A Spanish ship from Macao brought a delegation of 61 people to Nagasaki. They arrived on July 6, 1640; and on August 9th, all of them were decapitated and their heads were stuck on poles.[10]
- Kanei 20 (1643): "In-ziou-si" arrived in Japan as he ambassador from the king of Korea.[11]
- Kanei 20, on the 29th day of the 9th month (1643}: The empress ceded her throne to her brother.[12]
- Bunkyu 3, 3, 5 (April 22,1863): The shogun Iemochi came to the capital and had an audience. This was the first time since the visit of Kiemitsu in Kan’ei, 230 years before, that a shogun had visited Kyoto. He had been summoned by the emperor. He had 3,000 retainers as escort.[13]
References
Notes
- ^ Titsingh, I. (1834). Supplément aux annales des daïri, p. 411. [1834 transliteration; conventional spelling unknown]
- ^ Ponsonby-Fane, p. 317.
- ^ Titsingh, p. 411.
- ^ Titsingh, p. 411.
- ^ Titsingh, p. 411.
- ^ Titsingh, p. 411: Ponsonby-Fane, p. 317
- ^ Titsingh, p. 411.
- ^ Titsingh, p. 411.
- ^ Titsingh, p. 411.
- ^ Titsingh, p. 411.
- ^ Titsingh, p. 412.
- ^ Titsingh, p. 412.
- ^ Ponsonby-Fane, p. 325.
Further reading
- Ponsonby-Fane, Richard A.B. (1956). Kyoto: the Old Capital of Japan, 794-1869. Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society.
- Screech, Timon. (2006). Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779-1822. London: RoutledgeCurzon. ISBN 0-700-71720-X
- Titsingh, Isaac. (1822). Illustrations of Japan; consisting of Private Memoirs and Anecdotes of the reigning dynasty of The Djogouns, or Sovereigns of Japan; a description of the Feasts and Ceremonies observed throughout the year at their Court; and of the Ceremonies customary at Marriages and Funerals: to which are subjoined, observations on the legal suicide of the Japanese, remarks on their their poetry, an explanation of their mode of reckoning time, particulars respecting the Dosia powder, the preface of a work by Confoutzee on filial piety, &c. &c. by M. Titsingh formerly Chief Agent to the Dutch East India Company at Nangasaki. Translated from the French, by Frederic Shoberl with coloured plates, faithfully copied from Japanese original designs. London: Ackerman.
- Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Supplément aux annales des daïri, appended to [Siyun-sai Rin-siyo, 1652], Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon, tr. par M. Isaac Titsingh avec l'aide de plusieurs interprètes attachés au comptoir hollandais de Nangasaki; ouvrage re., complété et cor. sur l'original japonais-chinois, accompagné de notes et précédé d'un Aperçu d'histoire mythologique du Japon, par M. J. Klaproth. Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland.--Two digitized examples of this rare book have now been made available online: (1) from the library of the University of Michigan, digitized January 30, 2007; and (2) from the library of Stanford University, digitized June 23, 2006. Click here to read the original text in French.
Kan'ei | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th |
Gregorian | 1624 | 1625 | 1626 | 1627 | 1628 | 1629 | 1630 | 1631 | 1632 | 1633 | 1634 | 1635 | 1636 | 1637 | 1638 | 1639 | 1640 | 1641 | 1642 | 1643 |
Preceded by: |
Succeeded by: |