was a after '' Genji'' and before '' Meiji''. The period spanned the years from May 1865 to October 1868. The reigning emperors were and .

Change of era

* May 1, 1865 (''Genji 2/Keiō 1, 7th day of the 4th month'') : The new era name of ''Keiō'' (meaning "Jubilant Answer") was created to mark the

Kinmon Incident The , also known as the , was a rebellion against the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan that took place on August 20 unar calendar: 19th day, 7th month 1864, near the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. History Starting with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1 ...

. The previous era ended and a new one commenced in ''Genji'' 2.

Events of the ''Keiō'' era

* 1866 (''Keiō 2''): '' Goryōkaku'' completed * August 29, 1866 (''Keiō 2, 20th day of the 7th month''): Shōgun Iemochi died at Osaka; and the bakufu petitioned that

Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu Prince was the 15th and last ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He resigned of his position as shogun in late 1867, while aiming ...

should be appointed as his successor.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1956). ''Kyoto: The Old Capital of Japan, 794-1869'', p. 326. * January 10, 1867 (''Keiō 2, 5th day of the 12th month''): Yoshinobu was appointed shōgun. * January 30, 1867 (''Keiō 2, 25th day of the 12th month''): Emperor Komei died. * February 13, 1867 (''Keiō 3, 9th day of the 1st month''): Mutsuhito ascended to the throne as Emperor Meiji. * November 10, 1867 (''Keiō 3, 15th day of the 10th month''): An Imperial edict was issued sanctioning the restoration of Imperial government. * January 6, 1868 (''Keiō 3, 10th day of the 12th month''): The restoration of the Imperial government was announced to the ''

kuge The was a Japanese aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese Imperial Court in Kyoto. The ''kuge'' were important from the establishment of Kyoto as the capital during the Heian period in the late 8th century until the rise of the Kamakur ...

''. The year 1868 began as Keio 3, and did not become Meiji 1 until the 8th day of the 9th month of Keio 4, i.e., October 23; although retrospectively, it was quoted as the first year of the new era from 25 January onwards. * January 27, 1868 (''Keiō 4, 3rd of the 1st month''): The

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a clique seeking to seize political power in the name of the Imperi ...

begins with the

Battle of Toba–Fushimi The occurred between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle started on 27 January 1868 (or fourth year of Keiō, first month, 3rd day, according to the lunar calendar), when the forces of the shog ...

. * September 3, 1868 (''Keiō 4, 17th day of the 7th month''): Edo was renamed "Tokyo", i.e. meaning "Eastern Capital". * October 8, 1868 (''Keiō 4, 23rd of the 8th month''):

Battle of Aizu The Battle of Aizu (Japanese: 会津戦争, "War of Aizu") was fought in northern Japan from October to November in autumn 1868, and was part of the Boshin War. History Aizu was known for its martial skill, and maintained at any given time a s ...

begins. * October 12, 1868 (''Keiō 4, 27th day of the 8th month''): Emperor Meiji is crowned in the Shishin-den in Kyoto.Ponsonby-Fane, p. 328. * October 23, 1868 (''Keiō 4/Meiji 1, 8th day of the 9th month''): The nengō is formally changed from Keiō to Meiji; and a general amnesty is granted. The adoption of the Meiji nengō was done retroactively to January 25, 1868 (''Keiō 4/Meiji 1, 1st day of the 1st month'').

Keio University

Keio University , mottoeng = The pen is mightier than the sword , type = Private research coeducational higher education institution , established = 1858 , founder = Yukichi Fukuzawa , endowmen ...

, which was initially established in 1858 (''

Ansei was a after ''Kaei'' and before ''Man'en''. This period spanned the years from November 1854 through March 1860. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * November 27, 1854 (): The new era name of ''Ansei'' (meaning "tranquil government") ...

5''), seven years before the beginning of the ''Keiō'' era, is named after this era. This is the oldest existing institution of higher learning in Japan.Ozaki, Yukio. (2001). ''The Autobiography of Ozaki Yukio'', p. 21.

Notes

References

* Ozaki, Yukio. (2001). ''The Autobiography of Ozaki Yukio: The Struggle for Constitutional Government in Japan.'' ranslated by Fujiko Hara Princeton:

Princeton University Press Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its mission is to disseminate scholarship within academia and society at large. The press was founded by Whitney Darrow, with the financial su ...

.
OCLC 45363447
* 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 retirem ...

.
OCLC 48943301
* Ponsonby-Fane, Richard A. B. (1956). ''Kyoto: The Old Capital of Japan, 794-1869.'' Kyoto: The Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 559477127

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
* National Archives of Japa
...Scroll image showing precise reproduction of Imperial standard and colors, Boshin War (1868)
*

Toyohara Chikanobu , better known to his contemporaries as , was a Japanese painter and printmaker who was widely regarded as a prolific woodblock artist during the Meiji epoch. Names Chikanobu signed his artwork . This was his . The artist's was ; and it w ...