From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Japanese calendar system
The
era after the enthronement of Emperor Jimmu
(
神武天皇?位紀元
,
Jinmu-tenn? sokui kigen
)
, colloquially known as the
Japanese imperial year
(
皇紀
,
k?ki
)
or "national calendar year" is a unique
calendar system
in
Japan
.
[1]
It is based on the
legendary
foundation of Japan by
Emperor Jimmu
in 660 BC.
[2]
K?ki
emphasizes
the long history of Japan and the Imperial dynasty.
[3]
The
Gregorian year
2024 is
K?ki 2684
.
History
[
edit
]
K?ki
dating was used as early as 1872, shortly after Japan adopted the
Gregorian calendar
[4]
and was popular during the life of the
Meiji Constitution
(1890?1947). Its use was promoted by the scholars of
kokugaku
in the late 19th century.
The
Summer Olympics
and Tokyo Expo were planned as
anniversary
events in 1940 (
K?ki 2600
);
[5]
but the international games were not held because of the
Second Sino-Japanese War
.
[6]
The
Imperial Japanese Army
(IJA, from 1927) and
Imperial Japanese Navy
(IJN, from 1929) used the
K?ki
system for
identification
.
[7]
For example many Japanese names circa
World War II
use imperial years:
- The IJA's
Type 92 battalion gun
was called "ninety-two" because its design was completed in 1932, and the 25
92
nd year since the first Emperor of Japan was 1932 (
K?ki 25
92
).
- Japan's wartime cipher machine was named the
System 97 Printing Machine for European Characters
because it entered service in 1937 (
K?ki 25
97
).
- The Mitsubishi A6M (Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighter), colloquially called the "Zero" by allied forces, entered service in 1940 (
K?ki 2600
).
The
Proclamation of Indonesian Independence
(1945) used the imperial year (
K?ki 2605
).
In Japan today, the system of counting years from the
reign
of
Emperor Jimmu
is used in some judicial contexts.
[8]
The existing law determining the placement of
leap years
is based on the
K?ki
years, using a formula that is effectively equivalent to that of the Gregorian calendar.
[9]
K?ki
is also used in
Shinto
context.
Related pages
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Nussbaum, Louis-Frederic. (2005).
"
Kigen
"
in
Japan Encyclopedia
, p. 514.
- ^
Gubbins, John Harrington. (1922).
The Making of Modern Japan,
p. 71
; Mossman, Samuel. (1873).
New Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun,
p. 462
.
- ^
Chamberlain, Bail Hall. (1905).
Things Japanese,
p. 478
; Goodrich, John King. (1913).
Our Neighbors: the Japanese,
p. 61
.
- ^
神武天皇?位紀元二千五百三十三年明治六年太陽?
(1872)
- ^
Ruoff, Kenneth J. (2001).
The People's Emperor: Democracy and the Japanese Monarchy, 1945?1995,
p. 268 n52
.
- ^
Organizing Committee of the XIIth Olympiad. (1940).
Report of the Organizing Committee on its Work for the XIIth Olympic Games of 1940 in Tokyo until its Relinquishment,
pp. 174?175 (PDF 198?199 of 207)
; retrieved 2012-2-21.
- ^
Lacroix, Eric. (1997).
"Table A.2. Japanese Dates,"
Japanese cruisers of the Pacific War,
p. 700
.
- ^
"Kigen" in Kokushi Daijiten, vol. 4 (Yoshikawa Kobunkan, 1983).
- ^
"Imperial Edict No. 90, May 11, 1898"
(in Japanese).
National Diet Library
. Retrieved
March 12,
2024
.
External links
[
edit
]