What is the principle of the traditional Japanese chronology. Features of the Japanese calendar
Modern Japan uses the modern Gregorian calendar, the same as the rest of the world, including Russia, but excluding Muslim countries.
However, in earlier times, other calendar systems were official, which are still often used for ceremonial, astrological and cultural purposes.
In particular, in Japan they use: the Chinese sixty-year calendar, counting years by emperors and counting years from the founding of Japan. Let's talk about each in more detail...
Chinese calendar
As you know, in the traditional Chinese calendar, years are counted according to 12 zodiac animals or "12 celestial branches" ( junishi). However, in parallel, the account also goes on "10 earthly shoots" ( jikkan) - senior and junior symbols of natural elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Gold, Water). Here is a table showing how this happens:
| Years count | Animals (junishi) | Elements (jikkan) | Name of the year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ne (Mouse) | Ki-no-E (Elder Tree) |
Ki-no-E-Ne |
| 2 | Wuxi (Ox) | Ki-no-To (Junior Tree) |
Ki-no-To-Ushi |
| 3 | Torah (Tiger) | Hi-no-E (Elder Fire) |
Hi-no-E-Tora |
| 4 | U (Hare) | Hi-no-To (Junior Fire) |
Hi-no-To-U |
| 5 | Tatsu (Dragon) | Tsuchi-no-E (Elder Earth) |
Tsuchi-no-E-Tatsu |
| 6 | Mi (Snake) | Tsuchi-no-To (Junior Earth) |
Tsuchi-no-To-Mi |
| 7 | Uma (Horse) | Canoe (Elder Gold) |
Ka-no-E-Uma |
| 8 | Hitsuji (Sheep) | Ka-no-To (Junior Gold) |
Ka-no-To-Hitsuji |
| 9 | Saru (Monkey) | Mizu no E (Elder Water) |
Mizu-no-E-Saru |
| 10 | Tori (Rooster) | Mizu-no-To (Younger Water) |
Mizu-no-To-Tori |
| 11 | Inu (Dog) | Ki-no-E (Elder Tree) |
Ki-no-E-Inu |
| 12 | I (Boar) | Ki-no-To (Junior Tree) |
Ki-no-To-I |
| 13 | Ne (Rat) | Hi-no-E (Elder Fire) |
Hi-no-E-Ne |
| and so on... | |||
Two cycles seem to rotate opposite each other. It is easy to calculate that each combination of junishi and jikkan is repeated once every sixty years. Therefore, the sixtieth anniversary ( canracks) is of particular importance in Japan.
The last junishi-jikkan cycle began in 1984. Accordingly, 2000 is the year of Ka-no-E-Tatsu.
The year in the Chinese calendar usually begins on February 4, as spring begins to arrive in China and Japan at this time.
Counting years by reign of emperors
It is also a Chinese invention adopted by the Japanese. Each emperor, ascending the throne, approves the motto ( nengō), under which his reign will pass. In ancient times, the emperor sometimes changed the motto if the beginning of the reign was unsuccessful, or if he wanted to mark some an important event In my life.
During the Meiji Restoration, the practice of changing the motto during the reign was banned. Now each reign of the emperor corresponds to exactly one motto.
The beginning of the motto of the board is considered the first year of a new historical period. All nengō are unique, so they can be used as a universal time scale.
Period Heisei("Peace and tranquility"), as well as the reign of the emperor Akihito started in 1989. Accordingly, the year 2000 is the 12th year of the Heisei period.
Counting years from the founding of Japan
During the Meiji Restoration, a unified system of Japanese chronology was introduced, dating back to 660 BC, this is the legendary date of the founding of the Japanese state by the emperor Jimmu. Generally speaking, this system has existed since ancient times, but with the introduction of the system of mottos of government, it was forgotten.
This system was not really used until the end of World War II. Now the memory of her is preserved only in the naming system of Japanese aviation equipment of those years. The last two digits of the numerical designation of the aircraft model corresponded to the last two digits of the date of acceptance of this modification into service.
So, the legendary carrier-based fighter "Mitsubishi A6M2 Model 21 "Reisen" ("Zero" or "Ziki" in the American classification) was marked "Type 0", since it was commissioned in 2600 from the founding of Japan, or, respectively, in 1940.
In Japan, things are different. They dress differently, eat and sit differently, count days and years differently. It can be difficult for a Westerner to understand what year it is in Japan. Since ancient times, the Japanese have taken the Chinese lunisolar calendar as a basis, but this nation, with its special mentality, has made special changes to it. Now it is used mainly in ceremonies, in astrology, or for some kind of cultural purposes. We will try to understand in detail the calendar in Japan. What year is it, we will also clarify.
Calculation of years - ways
The Japanese call their island state "Nippon", which means the Motherland of the Sun, the Chinese translated this name as the Land of the Rising Sun, the Russians distorted it to the word "Japan". These islands had three ways of calculating years, two of which are still valid today. But we will mention all three.
The most ancient, which is now not used, came from the founding of Japan by the legendary more than five hundred years BC. e.
The Japanese copied another system from the Chinese. China in those days was the most developed of all Asian countries. The year when the new emperor began to rule, after the death of the previous one, began a new countdown. It is easy to find out what year it is in Japan now. 28th 年 (hieroglyph for "year") of reign
In 1873, the Gregorian calendar was adopted in the country. It gradually took root and is used on a par with the traditional one. 2017年 is what year it is in Japan. The first in writing is the year, then the month, the last is the day. All this is written in our traditional numbers. May 13, 2017 will look like this: 2017-5-13.
Emperor's reign
We keep our count of days from the Nativity of Christ, without changing anything. Japan has a different practice. The new emperor, when he ascends the throne (he does not really rule), he chooses a motto for himself - nengo, under which the time of his power will pass.
This motto, composed of two prosperous hieroglyphs, is required for the entire period of government to go smoothly, without cataclysms. A special state commission that studies ancient Chinese scrolls with classical literature for his selection was created and is being created in Japan. What is the year now? This period is called the Heisei era, which means "Peace and tranquility." It began in 1989, when the divine chosen one Akihito came to power.
Cyclic calendar
The West has already got to know him quite well, but celebrates the onset of the Eastern New Year on their dates, which do not coincide with the original source. According to this sixty-year cycle, each year is ruled by some animal and a special element.
These elements, which are ruled by Saturn, are five: wood, fire, metal, water and earth. They have their own colors: blue, red, yellow, white, black. In addition, the path of Jupiter is divided into twelve segments, each of which corresponds to an animal. They go in the order in which they came to the Buddha: rat, horse, bull, sheep, tiger, monkey, hare (rabbit), rooster, dragon, dog, snake, pig. We have already celebrated New Year and we know what year it is in Japan - Rooster, of course. His symbol stood on many European knick-knacks, utensils and clothing.
Timekeeping in Japan
What is the year now? The chronology in Japan makes Europeans look into the astrological signs of the coming year. We strive to please the incoming new creature, to cook delicious dishes for him, too, so that he protects us for a whole year. Of course, this is just a ritual that adds spice to the New Year holiday and is forgotten in Western countries the very next morning. But in the states of Asia, the New Year, which falls between the twentieth of January and February, is celebrated on a grand scale. Fireworks and observance of all rituals are obligatory. So, for example, the Japanese visit Shinto shrines, buy a toy-deity Daruma, make a wish and paint over one of its eyes. When the year is over, if the wish has come true, then Daruma is painted over the second eye, and if not, then they do not touch it. In any case, the wooden doll is sent back to the temple where it was bought and burned in special bonfires.
cherry blossom time
From the north, from the Sea of Okhotsk to the south, where Japan is washed by the Pacific Ocean, an archipelago stretches, in which there are almost seven thousand islands. Its length is three and a half thousand km. Therefore, the question of the weather for any Japanese is considered good form.
The Japanese are looking forward to the beginning of warm winds, when winter will be replaced by cherry blossoms in spring.
Only on different islands it is at different times. In the south, cherry blossoms can herald spring as early as February, while in the north and Aomori only in May. So if they ask: “What time of year is it in Japan now?”, Then you need to navigate not by the calendar, but by the geographical location of an island. It's like in our country - on the Black Sea coast, spring is already about to turn into summer, and in the Moscow region, penetrating through evil northern winds blow in May, cold rain falls, and frosts at night. And according to the calendar - spring, which the inhabitants of the Moscow region cannot wait for.
We hope that it is now clear to everyone how the current year is calculated in Japan.
Today we will learn how to say the days of the month and dates in Japanese.
European chronology in Japan
Currently chronology in japan has two types: European and Japanese. The first thing to remember when writing the date in Japanese, but according to the European chronology, is that it is written in reverse order, that is, first the year, then the month, and at the end the number. You can also add the day of the week at the end.
Let's take a date as an example (by the way, the word "date" itself will sound like hidzuke – 日付) December 20, 2015 of the year. In Japanese, "year" is nen年, "month" gatsu/getsu月, and "day" hi日. So, taking into account the peculiarity of writing the order of numbers in the date, December 20, 2015 will be written as 2015年12月20日. And if you add the day of the week (in this case, this is Sunday - nichiyobi日曜日), you get 2015年12月20日日曜日( nisen jūgo nen jūnigatsu hatsuka nichiyōbi). Despite the fact that Arabic numerals are actively used in Japan, you can just as easily meet and. If we replace our date with Arabic numerals for month and day with Japanese kanji, it becomes 2015年十二月二十日日曜日 . The year is very rarely written using hieroglyphs.
Names of months and numbers in Japanese
Remembering the names of the months in Japanese is quite simple: just know the numerals from 1 to 12 and add the hieroglyph 月 gatsu (month) to them:
January-一月-１月-ichi-gatsu
February-二月- 2月- ni-gatsu
March- 三月 - ３月 - san-gatsu
April- 四月 - ４月 - shi-gatsu
May- 五月 - ５月 - go-gatsu
June- 六月 - ６月 - roku-gatsu
July- 七月 - ７月 - shichi-gatsu
August- 八月 - ８月 - hachi-gatsu
September- 九月 - ９月 - ku-gatsu
October- 十月 - １０月 - juu-gatsu
November- 十一月 - １１月 - juu-ichi-gatsu
December- 十二月 - １２月 - juu-ni-gatsu
The most difficult moment is to learn the atypical Japanese readings of numbers from 1 to 10, and then simply add the word nichi (日) to the numeral. But even here it is necessary to pay attention to three exceptions, which include the 14th, 20th and 24th numbers:
１日 - 一日 - tsuitachi - first (1st)
２日 - 二日 - fust(u)ka - second (2nd)
３日 - 三日 - mikka - third (3rd)
４日 - 四日 - yokka - fourth (4th)
５日 - 五日 - its(u)ka - fifth (5th)
６日 - 六日 - muika - sixth (6th)
７日 - 七日 - nanoka - seventh (7th)
８日 - 八日 - youka (yooka) - eighth (8th)
９日 -九日 - kokonoka - ninth (9th)
１０日 - 十日 - tooka - tenth (10th)
１１日 - 十一日 - jyuu ichi nichi - eleventh (11th)
１２日 - 十二日 - jyuu ni nichi - twelfth (12th)
１３日 - 十三日 - jyuu san nichi - thirteenth (14th)
１４日 - 十四日 - jyuu yokka - fourteenth (14th)
１５日 - 十五日 - jyuu go nichi - fifteenth (15th)
１６日 十六日 - jyuu roku nichi - sixteenth (16th)
１７日 - 十七日 - jyuu sh(i) chi nichi \ jyuu nana nichi - seventeenth (17th)
１８日 - 十八日 - jyuu hachi nichi - eighteenth (18th)
１９日 十九日 - jyuu ku nichi - nineteenth (19th)
２０日 - 二十日 - hats(u)ka - twentieth (20th)
２１日 - 二十一日 - ni jyuu ichi nichi - twenty-first (21st)
２２日 - 二十二日 - ni jyuu ni nichi - twenty second (22nd)
２３日 - 二十三日 - ni jyuu san nichi - twenty-third (23rd)
２４日- 二十四日 - ni jyuu yokka - twenty-fourth = 24th
２５日 - 二十五日 - ni jyuu go nichi - twenty-fifth (25th)
２６日 - 二十六日 - ni jyuu roku nichi - twenty-sixth (26th)
２７日 - 二十七日 - ni jyuu shichi nichi \ ni jyuu nana nichi -
twenty-seventh (27th)
２８日 - 二十八日 - ni jyuu hachi nichi - t28th (28th)
２９日 - 二十九日 - ni jyuu ku nichi - twenty-ninth (29th)
３０日 - 三十日 - san jyuu nichi - thirtieth (30th)
３１日 - 三十一日 - san jyuu ichi nichi - thirty-first (31st)
Also, the last day of the month can be called 晦日 misoka(lit. "end day"), and December 31 大晦日 ōmisoka("the day of the great end").
If you do not yet know how to read Japanese, but would like to learn, then we advise you to master the Japanese alphabets - hiragana and katakana. Of course, it is better to start with hiragana. Take advantage of our hiragana for more effective study.
Japanese reckoning
The Japanese chronology is a little more complicated than the European one. The fact is that the Japanese each time start a new countdown from the accession to the throne of a new one. The current emperor Akihito began his reign in 1989, that is, the current era, which is called Heisei, began precisely in this year, and the first year of the reign is called 元年 - gan nen(the name of the first year of each era), and 1989 is called 平成元年- heisei gannen.
The current year 2015 is the 27th year in Japanese chronology, so December 20, 2015, which was taken as the sample above, will be written like this:十 日 The following are the eras that refer to the 20th century:
明治時代 Meiji jidai- the period of the reign of Emperor Meiji (1868-1912)
大正時代 Taishō jidai- the period of the reign of Emperor Taisho (1912-1926)
昭和時代 Shōwa jidai- the period of the reign of Emperor Showa (1926-1989)
Heisei- the period of the reign of Emperor Akihito (1989-now)
If you take a Japanese coin in your hand, you will see that the issue date is written on it using the Japanese chronology. It is also often found in Japanese newspapers and official documents.
Try to learn a small dialogue related to dates (you can put any date of your choice):
A：きょうは何月何日ですか。 What is today's date?
Kyō wa nani tsuki nan nichi desu ka
B：5月21日です。 Today is May 21st.
Go-gatsu ni jyuu ichi nichi desu
In conclusion, do a small task of writing dates.
In the comments, write the dates listed below and your birthday (or any other important date for you) in two ways, using the European and Japanese calendars:
February 25, Showa Year 5
July 5, Taishō Year 1
April 8, 22 Meiji Era
September 30, 8th year of the Heisei era
reckoning
[edit] From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Japanese chronology (Japanese 元号 gengoo or Japanese 年号 nengoo, translated means era, epoch) is the traditional calendar used in Japan.Instead of counting years from the Nativity of Christ, as is customary in Christian countries, in Japan, years are calculated from the year the emperor's reign began. Each emperor, assuming the throne, approves the motto (nengo), under which his reign will pass. In ancient times, the emperor sometimes changed the motto if the beginning of his reign was unsuccessful, or if he wanted to commemorate some important event in his life. During the Meiji Restoration, changing the motto during the reign was prohibited.
The beginning of the motto of the board is considered the first year of the new historical period. All nengō are unique, so they can be used as a universal time scale.
The Heisei ("Peace and Tranquility") period, like the reign of Emperor Akihito, began in 1989. Accordingly, 2005 was Heisei 17 and 2006 was Heisei 18.
A similar method of reckoning came from China, but is still widely used in Japan. The indication of dates according to the Japanese calendar is required on financial, banking documents and official papers.
In China, a similar system has been used since 140 BC. e., in Japan this system has been used since 645 AD. e.
[edit] Table of Japanese eras
Year Era Reading Translation Emperor Beginning of reign Length of period
… … … … … … …
Edo period (1603-1867)
1615 元和 Genna Beginning of the 1611 Kotohito accord
1624 正保 Kan'ei Defense of Justice Okiko, Tsuguhito December 22, 1629, November 14, 1643
1644 万治 Shohō Tsuguhito's reign of 10,000 November 14, 1643
1648 慶安 Keian Tsuguhito Peaceful Joy November 14, 1643
1652 承応 Jō Receiving Nagahito's Answers January 5, 1655
1655 明暦 Meireki Light Calendar Nagahito January 5, 1655
1658 万治 Manji Ten thousandth reign of Nagahito January 5, 1655
1661 寛文 Kambun Generous Art of Satohito March 5, 1663
1673 延宝 Empo Satohito's lasting wealth March 5, 1663
1681 天和 Tenna Heavenly Imperial Peace of Satohito March 5, 1663
1684 貞享 Jokyō Asahito May 6, 1687
1688 元禄 Genroku Asahito's Initial Joy May 6, 1687
1704 宝永 Hoei Prosperous Eternity Yoshihito July 27, 1709
1704 正徳 Shotoku Righteous Dignity of Yoshihito July 27, 1709
1716 享保 Kyoho Obtaining, Possession (Holding) Teruhito April 13, 1735
1736 元文 Genbun Initial courtesy of Teruhito April 13, 1735
1741 寛保 Kampo Preservation of the indulgent and generous Teruhito April 13, 1735
1744 延享 Enkyo The formation of the duration of Tohito June 9, 1747
1748 寛延 Kang'en Prolongation of the softness of Tohito June 9, 1747
1751 宝暦 Horeki Valuable calendar (Valuable almanac) Toshiko
1764 明和 Meiwa Bright Harmony Hidehito May 23, 1771
1772 安永 An'ei Peaceful eternity Tomohito December 16, 1779
1781 天明 Tenmei Dawn of Tomohito December 16, 1779
1789 寛政 Kansei Tolerant (liberal) government of Tomohito December 16, 1779
1801 享和 Kyouwa Receive Tomohito Harmony December 16, 1779
1804 文化 Bunka Culture (Civilization) Ayahito October 31, 1817
1818 文政 Bunsei Art Board of Ayahito October 31, 1817
1830 天保 Tenpo Heavenly Imperial Protection of Ayahito October 31, 1817
1844 弘化 Koka Becoming broad (extensive) Osahito March 10, 1846
1848 嘉永 Kaei Osahito Eternity Celebration March 10, 1846
1854 安政 Ansei Quiet peaceful (calm) government of Osahito March 10, 1846
1860 万延 Man'en Lasting ten thousand Osahito March 10, 1846
1861 文久 Bunkyu A Literate History of Osahito March 10, 1846
1864 元治 Genji Initial reign of Osahito March 10, 1846
1865 慶応 Keio Joyful consent of Osahito March 10, 1846
Modern Japan
1868 明治 Meiji Enlightened Reign of Mutsuhito February 3, 1867 45
1912 大正 Taishō Great Justice Yoshihito July 30, 1912 15
1926 昭和 Showa Hirohito's Enlightened World December 25, 1926 64
1989 平成 Heisei Establishment of peace by Akihito January 7, 1989 Until now[edit] From the founding of Japan
A very ancient calendar system, with a reference point of 660 BC. e., when, according to legend, the state of Japan was founded by Emperor Jimmu. It was supplanted by the count of years under the reigns of emperors. During the Meiji Restoration, the ancient count of years was restored, but it only lasted until the end of World War II.It is noteworthy that this number of years was reflected in the marking of pre-war aviation equipment: the last two digits of the numerical designation of the aircraft corresponded to the last two digits of the date this modification was put into service. So, the legendary carrier-based fighter "Mitsubishi A6M Zero" ("Naval carrier-based fighter Type 00 Model 11" (Rei Shiki Kanjo Sentoki, Jap. 零式艦上戦闘機) was commissioned in 2600 from the founding of Japan, or, respectively, 1940.
[edit] See also
Modern Japanese calendar
Currently, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar, which was adopted on January 1, 1873. Until that time, the Japanese used the traditional lunisolar calendar, which was based on Chinese calendar. The old calendar is still used today, but mainly for astrological, ceremonial, and cultural purposes. And the system of counting years by emperors continues to be used in Japan even now.
chronology
When the Gregorian calendar was adopted, three different systems of chronology were equally used in Japan:
In 660 B.C. the Japanese state was founded by Emperor Jimmu, from this date the ancient unified system of Japanese chronology originates;
The reckoning starts from the start of the reign motto (nengō), thus the years are counted from the beginning of the new emperor's reign. For example, in 1989, the Heise period began, whose motto is "Peace and Tranquility", this was the beginning of the reign of Emperor Akihito;
The third system of chronology begins from the Nativity of Christ - our era.
The first system of chronology, which starts from the founding of the Japanese state, was used until the end of World War II and is not used now. But the other two are still in use today.
Months and seasons
The names of the months in Japan mean "1st moon", "2nd moon" and so on in Japanese. The number of the month is connected with the suffix moon (gatsu). Thus, January sounds like ichigatsu, February sounds like nigatsu, and so on. Arabic numerals are often used for months and this is considered the norm.
In the Japanese traditional calendar, each month has several names that are unique to it, they reflect the signs of the season, rituals, customs, what kind of agricultural work is being done.
The basis of the old Japanese calendar was Chinese moon calendar. According to this calendar, the year begins 3-7 weeks later than according to the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, according to the old calendar, January is not the first month.
Chinese lunar calendar
In addition, in Japan, the year is divided into 24 seasons, according to the calendar borrowed from the Chinese. These seasons are taken into account when choosing kimonos and hair accessories, especially for geishas.
weeks
In Japan, there is a regular seven-day week, corresponding to the European calendar. The seven-day week was used until the introduction of the Gregorian calendar for astrology and some other purposes. Fukuzawa Yukichi played leading role in accepting the Gregorian system as official. The names of the days use the moon and the sun (yin and yang), as well as the names of the five planets, whose names come from the Chinese elements: metal, wood, fire, water, earth.
In addition, the month has three ten-day periods. Everyone has a jun in their name. The first is called jo: jun, the second - chu: jun, the third gejun. These names are often used when you need to specify an approximate time, for example: "for chu: jun May, the temperature is ...".
Each day in the month has a systematic name. The first day of the month is called tsukitachi. diminutive form it sounds like tsuitachi. The last day of the month is called a bowl. The name of the bowl is often used in the drafting of agreements, contracts and other documents, thus defining the date as the last day of the month, regardless of the date. The last day of the year is called omisoka, a term also widely used.
Japanese ancient lunar calendar
