, alternatively romanized as Jō-ō or Shōō, was a after '' Keian'' and before '' Meireki''. This period spanned the years from September 1652 through April 1655. The reigning emperors were and .

Change of era

* 1652 : The era name was changed to ''Jōō'' (meaning "receiving answers"), which was to mark the death of the third '' shōgun'', Tokugawa Iemitsu. The previous era ended and a new one commenced in ''Keian'' 5, on the 18th day of the 9th month. The name of this new era came from the Book of the Jin: "The Xia and the

Shang The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and f ...

dynasties follow their destinies, so the House of Zhou came when it was time." (夏商承運、周氏応期)

Events of the ''Jōō'' era

* October 3, 1653 (''Jōō 2, 12th day of the 8th month''): A violent fire destroyed a large part of the Imperial palace and many temples which were nearby. Shortly thereafter, several girls, aged 12–14 years, were imprisoned for having started this fire and others in

Heian-kyō Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180. Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in 794, mov ...

.Titsingh
p. 412.
/ref> * August 18, 1654 (''Jōō 3, 6th day of the 7th month''): A famous priest,

Ingen Ingen Ryūki () (December 7, 1592 – May 19, 1673) was a Chinese poet, calligrapher, and monk of Linji Chan Buddhism from China.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Ingen" in ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ' ...

, arrived at Nagasaki from China. His intention was to reform the practice of Buddhism in Japan. * October 30, 1654 (''Jōō 3, 20th day of the 9th month''): Emperor Go-Kōmyō died of smallpox; and his funeral ceremonies were at on the 15th day of the 10th month.

Sakoku: Before and after 1653

Within the Jōō period, Japan was implementing the

Sakoku was the Isolationism, isolationist Foreign policy of Japan, foreign policy of the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate under which, for a period of 265 years during the Edo period (from 1603 to 1868), relations and trade between Japan and other countri ...

policy which adopted by Tokugawa Bakumatsu. ''Sakoku'' (鎖国) means closed country in Japanese. Japan was adopting this policy from 1639 to 1868. There was barely any foreign trade from other countries, with exception to Chinese and Dutch merchant. Japanese residences were strictly monitored by the Government. People were not allowed to leave the country, with consequence of death penalty. Foreigners were in the same situation, anyone who attempted to enter Japan's territory would be killed by the soldiers right away. The entire country was dictated by Tokugawa government. The Sakoku policy was adopted by the ruler for preventing invaders, and keeping their national characteristics and national religion. This policy was banned after the Edo Period (1603–1868). The country was re-opened to the world in 1868.

Notes

References

* Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). ''Japan Encyclopedia''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
OCLC 48943301
* Porter, Robert P. (1918). ''Japan: The Rise of a Modern Power''. Oxford: Clarendon Press
OCLC 3881028
* Screech, Timon. (2006)
''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822''.
London:

RoutledgeCurzon Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...

.
OCLC 65177072
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''

Nihon Ōdai Ichiran , ', is a 17th-century chronicle of the serial reigns of Japanese emperors with brief notes about some of the noteworthy events or other happenings. According to the 1871 edition of the ''American Cyclopaedia'', the 1834 French translation of ...

''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon''.
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691

External links

National Diet Library The is the national library of Japan and among the largest libraries in the world. It was established in 1948 for the purpose of assisting members of the in researching matters of public policy. The library is similar in purpose and scope to ...

, "The Japanese Calendar
-- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection
* Sennyuji Temple Museu

* Imperial Household web sit

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joo (Edo period) Japanese eras 1650s in Japan