Meiwa

was a after ''Hōreki'' and before ''An'ei.'' This period spanned the years from June 1764 through November 1772. The reigning empress and emperor were and .

Change of era

* 1764 : The era name became ''Meiwa'' (meaning "Bright Harmony") because of the enthronement of Empress Go-Sakuramachi.

As a cultural phenomenon, the literature of this period records concerted attempts to distill the aggregate characteristics of the inhabitants of Edo (''Edokko'') into a generalized thumbnail description. These traits (''Edokko katagi'') were put into use to draw a contrast between Edokko and those who didn't have this "sophisticated" gloss -— those not from the city, as in merchants from the Kyoto-Osaka region or samurai from distant provinces. Sometimes ''Edokko katagi'' was presented with pride; and it was used mockingly.

Events of the ''Meiwa'' Era

* 1765 (''Meiwa 2''): Five-momme coin issued.
* 1766 (''Meiwa 3''): A planned insurrection to displace the Shōgun was thwarted.
* 1768 (''Meiwa 5''): Five-momme usage halted.
* 1770 (''Meiwa 7''): A typhoon flattened the newly built Imperial Palace in Kyoto.Hall, John. (1955). ''Tanuma Okitsugu, 1719-1788'', p. 120.
* 1770 (''Meiwa 7''): A great comet (Lexell's Comet) with a very long tail lit up the night skies throughout the summer and autumn.
* 1770 (''Meiwa 7''): Although no one could have known it at the time, this was the first of 15 consecutive years of drought in Japan.
* April 1, 1772 (''Meiwa 9, 29th day of the 2nd month''): "The Great ''Meiwa'' Fire"—one of the three greatest Edo fire disasters. Unofficial reports describe a swath of ashes and cinders nearly five miles wide and long—destroying 178 temples and shrines, 127 daimyō residences, 878 non-official residences, 8705 houses of bannermen, and 628 blocks of merchant dwellings, with estimates of over 6,000 casualties. All this devastation subsequently engendered the staggering costs of reconstruction.
* August 2, 1772 (''Meiwa 9, 4th day of the 6th month''): A terrible tempest hit the Kantō bringing floods and ruining crops.
* August 17, 1772 (''Meiwa 9, 19th day of the 6th month''): Another storm with more flooding and winds no less intense blew down an estimated 4000 houses in Edo alone.
* 1772 (''Meiwa 9''): At the time, it was said that "''Meiwa'' 9 is Year of Trouble" because it was marked by an extraordinary succession of natural calamities. The pun was made linking the words ''"Meiwa"'' + ''"ku"'' (meaning "''Meiwa'' 9") and the sound-alike word ''"meiwaku"'' (meaning "misfortune" or "annoyance").
* 1772 (''Meiwa 9, 11th month''): The ''nengō'' was changed to ''Anei'' (meaning "eternal tranquillity"), but this symbolic act was proved futile.Hall, p. 169.

Notes

References

* Hall, John Whitney. (1955). ''Tanuma Okitsugu, 1719-1788: Forerunner of Modern Japan.'' Cambridge: Harvard University Press
OCLC 445621
* Nara, Hiroshi. (2004). ''The Structure of Detachment: the Aesthetic Vision of Kuki Shūzō with a translation of "Iki no kōzō."'' Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ;
OCLC 644791079
* Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). ''Japan Encyclopedia.'' Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
OCLC 48943301
* Screech, Timon. (2006)
''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779-1822.''
London: RoutledgeCurzon.
OCLC 65177072
* 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

External links

* Lexell's Comet
-- Comet ("D/1770 L1") is named after Lexell.
* National Diet Library, "The Japanese Calendar
-- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection
* Toyohara Chikanobu, ''Mirror of the Ages'' (''Jidai Kagami'')
''Meiwa no koro.''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meiwa
Japanese eras
1760s in Japan
1770s in Japan
1764 establishments in Japan