was a after the ''Taika'' era and before Shuchō. This period spanned the years from February 650 through December 654.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Hakuchi''" in ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ''see'
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File
. The reigning emperor was .Titsingh, Isaac. (1834).

History

The era began in 650, the sixth year of the '' Taika'' era, which was thus known as .Brown, Delmer ''et al.''. (1979). '' Gukanshō'', p. 267. The ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominal ...

'' of

Nagato Province , often called , was a province of Japan. It was at the extreme western end of Honshū, in the area that is today Yamaguchi Prefecture. Nagato bordered on Iwami and Suō Provinces. History Although the ancient capital of the province was Shimono ...

brought a white pheasant to the court as a gift for the emperor. This white pheasant was then construed as a good omen. Emperor Kōtoku was extraordinarily pleased by this special avian rarity, and he wanted the entire court to see this white bird for themselves. He commanded a special audience in which he could formally invite the '' sadaijin'' and the ''

udaijin was a government position in Japan in the late Nara and Heian periods. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the ''udaijin'' in the context of a central administ ...

'' to join him in admiring the rare bird; and on this occasion, the emperor caused the ''

nengō The , also known as , is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element is a number which indicates the year number within the era (with the first year being ""), followed by the literal ...

'' to be changed to ''Hakuchi'' (meaning "white pheasant").Titsingh
p. 49.
/ref> In Japan, this was the second

, derived from the Chinese system of eras ('' nianhao''); although some scholarly doubt has been cast on the authenticity of ''Taika'' and ''Hakuchi'' as historically legitimate era names.

Timeline

The system of Japanese era names was not the same as Imperial reign dates.

Events of the ''Hakuchi'' era

* 650 (''Hakuchi 1''): Kōtoku commanded that all prisoners were to be granted liberty throughout the country. * 654 (''Hakuchi 5, 1st month''): A great number of rats moved into the province of ''Yamato''; and this was construed as a sign that the capital should be moved. * 654 (''Hakuchi 5''): Kōtoku died at the age of 59 after a reign of 10 years—five years during ''Taika'', and five years during ''Hakuchi''.Varley, H. Paul. (1980). ''Jinnō Shōtōki'', p. 133; Titsingh
p. 50.
/ref>

Notes

References

* Bialock, David T. (2007). ''Eccentric Spaces, Hidden Histories: Narrative, Ritual, and Royal Authority from the Chronicles of Japan to the Tale of the Heike.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press.
OCLC 237216457
* Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979)
''Gukanshō: The Future and the Past.''
Berkeley: University of California Press.
OCLC 251325323
* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...

.
OCLC 58053128
* 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
* Varley, H. Paul. (1980). ''A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chikafusa.'' New York:

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...

.
OCLC 6042764

External links

* National Diet Library, "The Japanese Calendar
-- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hakuchi Japanese eras 650 beginnings 7th century in Japan 654 endings