Keichō

History of Japan
Shōsōin
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Glossary

Keichō (慶長^?) was a Japanese era name (年号,, nengō,^?, lit. "year name") after Bunroku and before Genna. This period spanned from October 1596 to July 1615.^[1] The reigning emperors were Go-Yōzei-tennō (後陽成天皇^?) and Go-Mizunoo-tennō (後水尾天皇^?).^[2]

1 Change of era
2 Events of the Keichō era
- 2.1 Era developments
3 Notes
4 References
5 External links

Change of era

1596 Keichō gannen (慶長元年^?): The era name was changed to Keichō to mark the passing of various natural disasters. The preceding era ended and a new one commenced on October 27 of the 5th Bunroku.

Events of the Keichō era

1596 (Keichō 1): Keichō Invasion (invasion of Korea)
September 18, 1598 (Keichō 3, 18th day of the 8th month): Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Taiko died in his Fushimi Castle at the age of 63.^[3]
October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month): Battle of Sekigahara. The Tokugawa clan and its allies decisively vanquish all opposition.^[3]
January 15, 1602 (Keichō 7, 24th day of the 11th month): A fire at the Hōkō-ji temple complex in Kyoto was caused by careless workmen; and the great image of the buddha and the structure housing the statue (the Daibutsu-den) were consumed by the flames.^[4]
1603 (Keichō 8): Tokugawa Ieyasu became Shogun, which effectively becomes the beginning of what will become the Edo bakufu. Toyotomi Hideyori was elevated to Naidaijin in Miyako Daijō-kan.^[5]
1604-1606 (Keichō 9-11): Tokugawa Ieyasu undertook the rebuilding of Asama Shrine at the base of Mount Fuji in Suruga province in fulfillment of a vow and in gratitude for the help of the kami during the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600.^[6]
1605 (Keichō 10): Tokugawa Hidetada was named successor Shogun after his father "retires" from the position of Shogun.
1605 (Keichō 10): The first official map of Japan was ordered in this year and completed in 1639 at a scale of 1:280,000.^[7]
January 23, 1605 (Keichō 10, 15th day of the 12th month): A new volcanic island, Hachijōko-jima, arose from the sea at the side of Hachijō Island (八丈島,, Hachijō-jima^?) in the Izu Islands (伊豆諸島,, Izu-shotō^?) which stretch south and east from the Izu Peninsula.^[5]
1606 (Keichō 11): Construction began on Edo Castle.^[5]
1607 (Keichō 12): Construction began on Sumpu Castle in Suruga; and an ambassador from China arrived with greetings for the emperor of Japan.^[5]

1609 (Keichō 14): Invasion of Ryukyu by Shimazu daimyo of Satsuma.^[5]
August 24, 1609 (Keichō 14, 25th day of the 6th month): Trading pass (handelpas) issued to Dutch East Indies Company in the name of Ieyasu Tokugawa.
November 15, 1610 (Keichō 15, 30th day of the 9th month): Toyotomi Hideyori sponsors work which is begun to rebuild the Hōkō-ji in line with the plans which his father had supported; and this will include recreating the Daibutsu of Kyoto in bronze to replace the wooden image which had been burned. At this time, Hideyori also decides to order a great bell cast in bronze.^[8]
May 20, 1610 (Keichō 15, 27th day of the 3rd month): Hideyori came to Kyoto to visit the former-Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu; and the same day, the emperor resigns in favor of his son Masahito.^[5] Emperor Go-Yōzei abdicates; and his son receives the succession (senso).
1611 (Keichō 16): Emperor Go-Mizunoo formally accedes to the throne (sokui).
1613 (Keichō 18): In the years 1613 through 1620, Hasekura Tsunenaga headed a diplomatic mission to the Vatican in Rome, traveling through New Spain (arriving in Acapulco and departing from Veracruz) and visiting various ports-of-call in Europe. This historic mission is called the Keichō Embassy, (慶長使節).^[9] On the return trip, Hasekura and his companions re-traced their route across Mexico in 1619, sailing from Acapulco for Manilla, and then sailing north to Japan in 1620.^[10] This is conventionally considered the first Japanese ambassador in the Americas and in Europe.^[11]
1614 (Keichō 19): Siege of Osaka. The Shogun vanquished Hideyori and set fire to Osaka Castle, and then he returned for the winter to Edo.^[12]

August 24, 1614 (Keichō 19, 19th day of the 7th month): A new bronze bell for the Hōkō-ji was cast successfully -- see 19th century photo of Hōkō-ji bell and see old photo of bell; but despite dedication ceremony planning, Ieyasu forbade any further actions concerning the great bell:

"[T]he tablet over the Daibatsu-den and the bell bore the inscription "Kokka ankō" (meaning "the country and the house, peace and tranquility"), and at this Tokugawa Ieyasu affect to take umbrage, alleging that it was intended as a curse on him for the character 安 (an, "peace") was placed between the two characters composing his own name 家康 ("ka-kō", "house tranquility") [suggesting subtly perhaps that peace could only be attained by Ieyasu's dismemberment?] ... This incident of the inscription was, of course, a mere pretext, but Ieyasu realized that he could not enjoy the power he had usurped as long as Hideyori lived, and consequently, although the latter more than once dispatched his kerei Katagiri Kastumoto to Sunpu Castle with profuse apologies, Ieyasu refused to be placated."^[13]

October 18, 1614 (Keichō 19, 25th day of the 10th month): A strong earthquake shook Kyoto.^[12]
1615 (Keichō 20): Osaka Summer Battle begins.

Era developments

Copper, silver and gold coins called Keichō-tsūhō were issued in the Keichō era; and they helped unify the currency system.^[14]
Keichō-chokuhan, also called Keichō shinkoku-bon, were Imperial publications, produced during the Keichō era at the command of Emperor Go-Yōzei and printed using moveable type which had been imported from the Joseon Kingdom on the Korean peninsula.^[15]
Keichō no katsuji-ban was the general name for the first works printed with moveable typ during the Keichō era.^[16]
Things Heard and Seen During the Keichō Era (Keichō kemmon-shū) also called the Kembun-shū was a book, a collection of tales and anecdotes compiled by Miura Jōshin (1565–1644).^[17]

Notes

^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Keichō" in Japan encyclopedia, p. 504; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, see Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File.
^ Tittsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du japon, pp. 402-409.
^ ^a ^b Titsingh, p. 405.
^ Ponsonby-Fane, R. (1956). Kyoto, the Old Capital of Japan, p. 290; Titsingh, p. 409.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Titisngh, p. 409.
^ Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1962). Studies in Shinto and Shrines, p.462.
^ Traganeou, Jilly. (2004). The Tokaido Road: Traveling and Representation in Edo and Meiji Japan, p. 230.
^ Ponsonby-Fane, Kyoto, p. 292; Titsingh, p. 409.
^ In the name "Keichō Embassy", the noun "Keichō" refers to the nengō (Japanese era name) after "Bunroku" and before "Genna." In other words, the Keichō Embassy commenced during Keichō, which was a time period spanning the years from 1596 through 1615.
^ Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Japan-Mexico Relations.
^ The Keichō Embassy was, in fact, preceded by a Sengoku period mission headed by Mancio Ito with Alessandro Valignano in 1582–1590. Although less well-known and less well-documented, this historic mission is sometimes referred to as the "Tenshō Embassy" because it was initiated in the Tenshō era. This venture was organized by three daimyo of Western Japan -- Omura Sumitada, Otomo Sorin and Arima Harunobu.
^ ^a ^b Titsingh, p. 410.
^ Ponsonby-Fane, Kyoto, p. 292; Titsingh, p. 410.
^ Nussbaum, "Keichō-tsūhō" in Japan encyclopedia, p. 504.
^ Nussbaum, "Keichō-chokuhan" in Japan encyclopedia, p. 504.
^ Nussbaum, "Keichō no katsuji-ban" in Japan encyclopedia, p. 504.
^ Nussbaum, "Keichō kemmon-shū" in Japan encyclopedia, p. 504.

References

de Winter, Michiel. (2006). "VOC in Japan: Betrekkingen tussen Hollanders en Japanners in de Edo-periode, tussen 1602-1795" ("VOC in Japan: Relations between the Dutch and Japanese in the Edo-period, between 1602-1795").
Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 10-ISBN 0-674-01753-6; 13-ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 48943301
Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan. Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. OCLC 194887
____________. (1962). Studies in Shinto and Shrines. Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. OCLC 3994492
Screech, Timon. (2006). Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779-1822. London: RoutledgeCurzon. 10-ISBN 0203099850, 13-ISBN 9780203099858; OCLC 65177072
Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Nihon Odai Ichiran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. OCLC 5850691.
Traganeou, Jilly. (2004). The Tokaido Road: Traveling and Representation in Edo and Meiji Japan. London: RoutledgeCurzon. ISBN 0-4153-1091-1

External links

National Diet Library, "The Japanese Calendar" -- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection

Keichō	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th	12th	13th	14th	15th	16th	17th	18th	19th	20th
Gregorian	1596	1597	1598	1599	1600	1601	1602	1603	1604	1605	1606	1607	1608	1609	1610	1611	1612	1613	1614	1615

Preceded by:
Bunroku

Era or nengō:
Keichō

Succeeded by:
Genna

Japanese era names (Nengō)

Asuka period 538–710	Taika 645–650 · Hakuchi 650–654 · Shuchō 686–686 · Taihō 701–704 · Keiun 704–708 · Wadō 708–715

Nara period 710–784	Reiki 715–717 · Yōrō 717–724 · Jinki 724–729 · Tenpyō 729–749 · Tenpyō-kanpō 749–749 · Tenpyō-shōhō 749–757 · Tenpyō-hōji 757–765 · Tenpyō-jingo 765–767 · Jingo-keiun 767–770 · Hōki 770–781 · Ten'ō 781–782 · Enryaku 782–806

Heian period 784–1185	Daidō 806–810 · Kōnin 810–824 · Tenchō 824–834 · Jōwa 834–848 · Kajō 848–851 · Ninju 851–854 · Saikō 854–857 · Ten'an 857–859 · Jōgan 859–877 · Gangyō 877–885 · Ninna 885–889 · Kanpyō 889–898 · Shōtai 898–901 · Engi 901–923 · Enchō 923–931 · Jōhei 931–938 · Tengyō 938–947 · Tenryaku 947–957 · Tentoku 957–961 · Ōwa 961–964 · Kōhō 964–968 · Anna 968–970 · Tenroku 970–973 · Ten'en 973–976 · Jōgen 976–978 · Tengen 978–983 · Eikan 983–985 · Kanna 985–987 · Eien 987–988 · Eiso 988–990 · Shōryaku 990–995 · Chōtoku 995–999 · Chōhō 999–1004 · Kankō 1004–1012 · Chōwa 1012–1017 · Kannin 1017–1021 · Jian 1021–1024 · Manju 1024–1028 · Chōgen 1028–1037 · Chōryaku 1037–1040 · Chōkyū 1040–1044 · Kantoku 1044–1046 · Eishō 1046–1053 · Tengi 1053–1058 · Kōhei 1058–1065 · Jiryaku 1065–1069 · Enkyū 1069–1074 · Jōhō 1074–1077 · Jōryaku 1077–1081 · Eihō 1081–1084 · Ōtoku 1084–1087 · Kanji 1087–1094 · Kahō 1094–1096 · Eichō 1096–1097 · Jōtoku 1097–1099 · Kōwa 1099–1104 · Chōji 1104–1106 · Kajō 1106–1108 · Tennin 1108–1110 · Ten'ei 1110–1113 · Eikyū 1113–1118 · Gen'ei 1118–1120 · Hōan 1120–1124 · Tenji 1124–1126 · Daiji 1126–1131 · Tenshō 1131–1132 · Chōshō 1132–1135 · Hōen 1135–1141 · Eiji 1141–1142 · Kōji 1142–1144 · Ten'yō 1144–1145 · Kyūan 1145–1151 · Ninpei 1151–1154 · Kyūju 1154–1156 · Hōgen 1156–1159 · Heiji 1159–1160 · Eiryaku 1160–1161 · Ōhō 1161–1163 · Chōkan 1163–1165 · Eiman 1165–1166 · Nin'an 1166–1169 · Kaō 1169–1171 · Jōan 1171–1175 · Angen 1175–1177 · Jishō 1177–1181 · Yōwa 1181–1182 · Juei 1182–1184 · Genryaku 1184–1185

Kamakura period 1185–1333	Bunji 1185–1190 · Kenkyū 1190–1199 · Shōji 1199–1201 · Kennin 1201–1204 · Genkyū 1204–1206 · Ken'ei 1206–1207 · Jōgen 1207–1211 · Kenryaku 1211–1213 · Kempo 1213–1219 · Jōkyū 1219–1222 · Jōō 1222–1224 · Gennin 1224–1225 · Karoku 1225–1227 · Antei 1227–1229 · Kangi 1229–1232 · Jōei 1232–1233 · Tenpuku 1233–1234 · Bunryaku 1234–1235 · Katei 1235–1238 · Ryakunin 1238–1239 · En'ō 1239–1240 · Ninji 1240–1243 · Kangen 1243–1247 · Hōji 1247–1249 · Kenchō 1249–1256 · Kōgen 1256–1257 · Shōka 1257–1259 · Shōgen 1259–1260 · Bun'ō 1260–1261 · Kōchō 1261–1264 · Bun'ei 1264–1275 · Kenji 1275–1278 · Kōan 1278–1288 · Shōō 1288–1293 · Einin 1293–1299 · Shōan 1299–1302 · Kengen 1302–1303 · Kagen 1303–1306 · Tokuji 1306–1308 · Enkyō 1308–1311 · Ōchō 1311–1312 · Shōwa 1312–1317 · Bunpō 1317–1319 · Gen'ō 1319–1321 · Genkō 1321–1324 · Shōchū 1324–1326 · Karyaku 1326–1329 · Gentoku 1329–1331 · Genkō 1331–1334^♯ · Shōkyō 1332–1333^₪

Nanboku-chō period (Northern Court) 1336–1392	Kemmu 1334–1338 · Ryakuō 1338–1342 · Kōei 1342–1345 · Jōwa 1345–1350 · Kannō 1350–1352 · Bunna 1352–1356 · Enbun 1356–1361 · Kōan 1361–1362 · Jōji 1362–1368 · Ōan 1368–1375 · Eiwa 1375–1379 · Kōryaku 1379–1381 · Eitoku 1381–1384 · Shitoku 1384–1387 · Kakei 1387–1389 · Kōō 1389–1390 · Meitoku 1390–1394^‡

Nanboku-chō period (Southern Court) 1336–1392	Kemmu 1334–1336 · Engen 1336–1340 · Kōkoku 1340–1346 · Shōhei 1346–1370 · Kentoku 1370–1372 · Bunchū 1372–1375 · Tenju 1375–1381 · Kōwa 1381–1384 · Genchū 1384–1392^‡

Muromachi period 1392–1573	Ōei 1394–1428 · Shōchō 1428–1429 · Eikyō 1429–1441 · Kakitsu 1441–1444 · Bun'an 1444–1449 · Hōtoku 1449–1452 · Kyōtoku 1452–1455 · Kōshō 1455–1457 · Chōroku 1457–1460 · Kanshō 1460–1466 · Bunshō 1466–1467 · Ōnin 1467–1469 · Bunmei 1469–1487 · Chōkyō 1487–1489 · Entoku 1489–1492 · Meiō 1492–1501 · Bunki 1501–1521 · Eishō 1504–1521 · Daiei 1521–1528 · Kyōroku 1528–1532 · Tenbun 1532–1555 · Kōji 1555–1558 · Eiroku 1558–1570 · Genki 1570–1573

Momoyama period 1573–1600	Tenshō 1573–1592 · Bunroku 1592–1596 · Keichō 1596–1615

Edo period 1600–1868	Genna 1615–1624 · Kan'ei 1624–1644 · Shōhō 1644–1648 · Keian 1648–1652 · Jōō 1652–1655 · Meireki 1655–1658 · Manji 1658–1661 · Kanbun 1661–1673 · Enpō 1673–1681 · Tenna 1681–1684 · Jōkyō 1684–1688 · Genroku 1688–1704 · Hōei 1704–1711 · Shōtoku 1711–1716 · Kyōhō 1716–1736 · Genbun 1736–1741 · Kanpō 1741–1744 · Enkyō 1744–1748 · Kan'en 1748–1751 · Hōreki 1751–1764 · Meiwa 1764–1772 · An'ei 1772–1781 · Tenmei 1781–1789 · Kansei 1789–1801 · Kyōwa 1801–1804 · Bunka 1804–1818 · Bunsei 1818–1830 · Tenpō 1830–1844 · Kōka 1844–1848 · Kaei 1848–1854 · Ansei 1854–1860 · Man'en 1860–1861 · Bunkyū 1861–1864 · Genji 1864–1865 · Keiō 1865–1868

Modern Japan 1868–present	Meiji 1868–1912 · Taishō 1912–1926 · Shōwa 1926–1989 · Heisei 1989–present

^♯The Northern pretenders did not recognize the Genkō era. Gentoku continued to be used in the Northern Court until 1332. ^₪The Shōkyō era was recognized only by the Northern pretenders, not by the Southern Court. ^‡ Upon reunification of the Northern and Southern Courts in 1392, Genchū was discontinued. Meitoku was used until 1394.