Kisaragi

Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the current Emperor. The written form starts with the year, then the month and finally the day, coinciding with the ISO 8601 standard.

For example, February 16, 2003, can be written as either or (the latter following the regnal year system). reads and means "year", reads and means "month", and finally (usually) reads (its pronunciation depends on the number that precedes it, see below) and means "day".

Prior to the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1873, the reference calendar was based on the lunisolar Chinese calendar.

History

File:Briefly_Abridged_Calendar_of_1873%2C_Hiroshige_Museum_of_Art.JPG, Briefly Abridged Calendar of 1873
File:Calendar_for_1907%2C_Nakai_Tokujiro_%28Pub.%29%2C_Hiroshige_Museum_of_Art.JPG, Calendar for 1907

Over the centuries, Japan has used up to four systems for designating years: the Chinese sexagenary cycle, the system, the Japanese imperial year ( or ) and the system. In the 21st century, however, the era system (''gengō'') and Western system (''seireki'') are the only ones still widely used.

Chinese Calendar

The lunisolar Chinese calendar was introduced to Japan via Korea in the middle of the sixth century. After that, Japan calculated its calendar using various Chinese calendar procedures, and from 1685, using Japanese variations of the Chinese procedures.See the page on the history of the calendar at the National Diet Library site

Its sexagenary cycle was often used together with era names, as in the 1729 Ise calendar shown above, which is for "the 14th year of Kyōhō, tsuchi-no-to no tori", i.e., .

In modern times, the old Chinese calendar is virtually ignored; celebrations of the Lunar New Year are thus limited to Chinese and other Asian immigrant communities. However, its influence can still be felt in the idea of "lucky and unlucky days" (described below), the traditional meanings behind the name of each month, and other features of modern Japanese calendars.

Era Names (''gengō'')

The system was also introduced from China, and has been in continuous use since AD 701. The reigning Emperor chooses the name associated with their regnal eras; before 1868, multiple names were chosen throughout the same emperor's rule, such as to commemorate a major event.See list of nengō with the reasons for the changes in ''Rekishi Dokuhon'', January 2008 ("Nihon no Nengo Tokushuu"), pp. 196–221. For instance, the Emperor Kōmei's reign (1846–1867) was split into seven eras, one of which lasted only one year. Starting with Kōmei's son the Emperor Meiji in 1868, there has only been one ''gengō'' per emperor representing their entire reign.

The ''nengō'' system remains in wide use, especially on official documents and government forms. It is also in general use in private and personal business.

The present era, Reiwa, formally began on 1 May 2019. The name of the new era was announced by the Japanese government on 1 April 2019, a month prior to Naruhito's accession to the throne. The previous era, Heisei, came to an end on 30 April 2019, after Japan's former emperor, Akihito, abdicated the throne. Reiwa is the first era name whose characters come from a Japanese root source; prior eras' names were taken from Chinese classic literature.

Japanese Imperial Years (''kōki'' or ''kigen'')

The Japanese imperial year ( or ) is based on the date of the legendary founding of Japan by Emperor Jimmu and Tokyo Expo were planned as anniversary events, but were canceled due to the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese naval Zero Fighter was named after this year. After the Second World War, the United States occupied Japan, and stopped the use of ''kōki'' by officials."kigen" in ''Kokushi Daijiten'', vol. 4 (Yoshikawa Kôbunkan, 1983).

Today, ''kōki'' is rarely used, except in some judicial contexts. Usage of ''kōki'' dating can be a nationalist signal, pointing out that the history of Japan's imperial family is longer than that of Christianity, the basis of the Anno Domini (AD) system.

The 1898 law determining the placement of leap years is officially based on the ''kōki'' years, using a formula that is effectively equivalent to that of the Gregorian calendar: if the ''kōki'' year number is evenly divisible by four, it is a leap year, unless the number minus 660 is evenly divisible by 100 and not by 400. Thus, for example, the year ''Kōki'' 2560 (AD 1900) is divisible by 4; but 2560 − 660 = 1900, which is evenly divisible by 100 and not by 400, so ''kōki'' 2560 (1900) was not a leap year, just as in most of the rest of the world.

Gregorian Calendar (''seireki'')

The system, based on the solar Gregorian calendar, was first introduced in 1873 as part of the Japan's Meiji period modernization.

Nowadays, Japanese people know it as well as the regnal eras.

Divisions of time

Seasons

There are four seasons corresponding to the West's:

However, there is also a traditional system of , consisting of each divided into three sets of five days, and with specially-named days or indicating the start and end of each. This system was adapted from the Chinese in 1685 by court astronomer Shibukawa Shunkai, rewriting the names to better match the local climate and nature in his native Japan. Each ''kō'' has traditional customs, festivals, foods, flowers and birds associated with it:

The 24 sekki

''Zassetsu''

is a collective term for special seasonal days within the 24 ''sekki''.

''Shanichi'' dates can vary by as much as 5 days.
''Chūgen'' has a fixed day. All other days can vary by one day.

Many ''zassetsu'' days occur in multiple seasons:
* refers to the 18 days before each season, especially the one before fall which is known as the hottest period of a year.
* is the seven middle days of spring and autumn, with ''Shunbun'' at the middle of the seven days for spring, ''Shūbun'' for fall.
* is the day closest to ''Shunbun'' (middle of spring) or ''Shūbun'' (middle of fall), which can be as much as 5 days before to 4 days after ''Shunbun''/''Shūbun''.

The term originally referred to the eves of , , , and ; however, it now only refers to the day before .

Months

As mentioned above, the Japanese calendar used to be based on an adaptation of the Chinese lunar calendar, which begins 3 to 7 weeks later than the Gregorian. In other words, the Gregorian "first month" and the Chinese "first month" do not align, which is important in historical contexts.

The "traditional names" for each month, shown below, are still used by some in fields such as poetry; of the twelve, ''Shiwasu'' is still widely used today. The opening paragraph of a letter or the greeting in a speech might borrow one of these names to convey a sense of the season. Some, such as ''Yayoi'' and ''Satsuki'', do double duty as given names (for women). These month names also appear from time to time on ''jidaigeki'', contemporary television shows and movies set in the Edo period or earlier.

The Japanese names for the modern Gregorian months literally translate to "first month", "second month", and so on. The corresponding number is combined with the suffix . The table below uses traditional numerals, but the use of Western numerals (, , , etc.) is common.

Division of the Month

Week

Japan uses a seven-day week, aligned with the Western calendar. The seven-day week, with names for the days corresponding to the Latin system, was brought to Japan around AD 800 with the Buddhist calendar. The system was used for astrological purposes and little else until 1876.

Much like in multiple European languages, in which the names for weekdays are, partially or fully, based on what the Ancient Romans considered the seven visible planets, meaning the five visible planets and the sun and the moon, in The Far East the five visible planets are named after the five Chinese elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth.) On the origin of the names of the days of the week, also see East Asian Seven Luminaries.

Sunday and Saturday are regarded as "Western style take-a-rest days". Since the late 19th century, Sunday has been regarded as a "full-time holiday", and Saturday a . These days have no religious meaning (except the less than 1% who believe in Christianity or Judaism). Many Japanese retailers do not close on Saturdays or Sundays, because many office workers and their families are expected to visit the shops during the weekend. Monday is traditionally the first day of the week.

10-Days (''jun'')

Japanese people also use 10-day periods called . Each month is divided into two 10-day periods and a third with the remaining 8 to 11 days:
* The first (from the 1st to the 10th) is
* The second (from the 11th to the 20th),
* The last (from the 21st to the end of the month), .

These are frequently used to indicate approximate times, for example, "the temperatures are typical of the ''jōjun'' of April"; "a vote on a bill is expected during the ''gejun'' of this month." The magazine ''Kinema Junpo'' was originally published once every ''jun'' (i.e. three times a month).

Days

The table below shows dates written with traditional numerals, but use of Arabic numerals (, , , etc.) is extremely common in everyday communication, almost the norm.

Each day of the month has a semi-systematic name. The days generally use ''kun'' (native Japanese) numeral readings up to ten, and thereafter ''on'' (Chinese-derived) readings, but there are some irregularities.

''Tsuitachi'' is a worn-down form of , literally "month start." The last day of the month was called ''tsugomori'', which means "Moon hidden." This classical word comes from the tradition of the lunisolar calendar.

The 30th was also traditionally called ''misoka'', just as the 20th is called ''hatsuka''. Nowadays, the terms for the numbers 28–31 plus ''nichi'' are much more common. However, ''misoka'' is much used in contracts, etc., specifying that a payment should be made on or by the last day of the month, whatever the number is. New Year's Eve is known as , and that term is still in use.

As mentioned below, there is traditional belief that some days are lucky (''kichijitsu'') or unlucky. For example, there are some who will avoid beginning something on an unlucky day.

Holidays and other notable days

April 1

The first day of April has broad significance in Japan. It marks the beginning of the government's fiscal year. Many corporations follow suit. In addition, corporations often form or merge on that date. In recent years, municipalities have preferred it for mergers. On this date, many new employees begin their jobs, and it is the start of many real-estate leases. The school year begins on April 1.

''Rokuyō''

The are a series of six days calculated from the date of Chinese calendar that supposedly predict whether there will be good or bad fortune during that day. The ''rokuyō'' are commonly found on Japanese calendars and are often used to plan weddings and funerals, though most people ignore them in ordinary life. The ''rokuyō'' are also known as the . In order, they are:

The ''rokuyō'' days are easily calculated from the Japanese lunisolar calendar. The first day of the first month is always ''senshō'', with the days following in the order given above until the end of the month. Thus, the 2nd day is ''tomobiki'', the 3rd is ''senbu'', and so on. The 1st day of the 2nd month restarts the sequence at ''tomobiki''. The 3rd month restarts at ''senbu'', and so on for each month. The latter six months repeat the patterns of the first six, so the 1st of the 7th is ''senshō'', the 1st of the 12th is ''shakkō'' and the moon-viewing day on the 15th of the 8th is always ''butsumetsu''.

This system did not become popular in Japan until the end of the Edo period. The symbols largely fell out of use in the Meiji period, but are still sometimes seen. They are iconic, with black for bad luck and white for good, when arranged from right to left in vertical text.

National Holidays

After World War II, the names of Japanese national holidays were completely changed because of the secular state principle (Article 20, The Constitution of Japan). Although many of them actually originated from Shinto, Buddhism and important events relating to the Japanese imperial family, it is not easy to understand the original meanings from the superficial and vague official names.

Notes: Single days between two national holidays are taken as a bank holiday. This applies to May 4, which is a holiday each year. When a national holiday falls on a Sunday the next day that is not a holiday (usually a Monday) is taken as a holiday.

::^† Traditional date on which according to legend Emperor Jimmu

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