The Xuanming calendar (宣明历) was a Chinese
lunisolar calendar
A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures, that combines monthly lunar cycles with the solar year. As with all calendars which divide the year into months, there is an additional requirement that the year have a whole number of mont ...
. It was used in China during the 9th century. It is known in Japan as ''Senmyō-reki'' or ''Senmei-reki.'' In Japan it remained in use from the late-9th century to the late-17th century. It was also used in the Korean kingdom of
Goryeo
Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...
. In China, the Xuanming calendar was the penultimate calendar to be used in the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
. In 893, it was replaced by the Chongxuan calendar (崇玄曆), which was used to the end of the Tang dynasty and beyond.
History
China
The Xuanming calendar was one of several calendars developed during the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
. It was implemented in
822 and was used until
892
Year 892 (Roman numerals, DCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar, the 892nd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 892nd year of the 1st millennium, the 92nd year of the 9th century, a ...
, a period of 71 years. In 893, it was replaced by the Chongxuan calendar (崇玄曆), which was used to the end of the Tang dynasty and into the subsequent
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
Japan
The calendar was imported into Japan in
859. The earliest record of this calendar being used in Japan is in the 8th month of the 3rd year of ''
Jōgan'' (861) during the reign of the
Emperor Seiwa
was the 56th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 清和天皇 (56)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.
Seiwa's reign spanned the years from 858 through 876.
Traditional narrative
Seiwa was the fourth ...
.
[Japan, Monbushō. (1876)]
''An outline history of Japanese education: prepared for the Philadelphia International Exhibition, 1876'', p. 160
It would continue to be used until 1685, after which it would be superseded by the
Jōkyō calendar
The was a Japanese lunisolar calendar, in use from 1684 to 1753.Nussbaum"''Jōkyō-reki''"at p. 431"''Teikyō-reki''"at p. 431 It was officially adopted in 1685.Orchiston, Wayne ''et al.'' (2011)''Highlighting the History of Astronomy in the Asi ...
, the first calendar developed specifically for Japan; by that point the calendar was in error by about two days.
See also
*
Chinese calendar
The traditional Chinese calendar, dating back to the Han dynasty, is a lunisolar calendar that blends solar, lunar, and other cycles for social and agricultural purposes. While modern China primarily uses the Gregorian calendar for officia ...
*
Japanese calendar
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 Japanese era name, year of the reign of the current Emperor. The written f ...
*
Sexagenary cycle
The sexagenary cycle, also known as the gānzhī (干支) or stems-and-branches, is a cycle of sixty terms, each corresponding to one year, thus amounting to a total of sixty years every cycle, historically used for recording time in China and t ...
References
Further reading
* Charlotte von Verschuer (1985)
''Les relations officielles du Japon avec la Chine aux VIIIe et IXe siècles'' (''Hachi-kyū-seiki no Nitchū kankei''), pp. 243–245 n. 114
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"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Semmyo calendar
Specific calendars
History of science and technology in Japan
Time in Japan
822 establishments
890s disestablishments
859 establishments
1685 disestablishments in Asia