was a after Jōkyō and before Hōei. The Genroku period spanned the years from the ninth month of 1688 to the third month of 1704. The reigning emperor was .Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du japon'', p. 415. The period was known for its peace and prosperity, as the previous hundred years of peace and seclusion in Japan had created relative economic stability. The arts and architecture flourished. There were unanticipated consequences when the

shogunate , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

debased the quality of coins as a strategy for financing the appearance of continuing Genroku affluence. This strategic miscalculation caused abrupt inflation. Then, in an effort to solve the ensuing crisis, the introduced what were called the Kyōhō Reforms.

Change of era

The was 1688. The new era name was created to mark the beginning of the reign of Higashiyama. The previous era ended and the new one commenced in Jōkyō 5, on the 30th day of the 9th month. A sense of optimism is suggested in the era name choice of ''Genroku'' (meaning "original happiness").

Events of the Genroku era

* 1688 (''Genroku 1, 1st month''): Ihara Saikaku publishes ''Japan's Eternal Treasury''. * 1688 (''Genroku 1, 11th month''):

Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period. He was an official in the Tokugawa shogunate and a favourite of the fifth shōgun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. His second concubine was Ogimachi Machiko, a writer and scholar from the noble court who wrote ...

assumes the office of * 1688 (''Genroku 1''): The Tokugawa shogunate revised the code of conduct for funerals (), which incorporated a code of conduct for mourning as well. * 1689 (''Genroku 2, 4th month''): Foreign settlements in Nagasaki become possible. * September 16, 1689 (''Genroku 2, 3rd day of the 7th month''): German physician Engelbert Kaempfer arrives at Dejima. * 1690 (''Genroku 3, 10th month''): The Abandoned Child Ban was officially proclaimed. * 1692 (''Genroku 5''): Building of temples in

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

banned. * 1693 (''Genroku 6, 12th month''): Arai Hakuseki becomes tutor to the of Kōfu-, the future Tokugawa Ienobu. * 1693 (''Genroku 6''): The code of conduct for funerals is revised again. * 1695 (''Genroku 8, 2nd month''): Land survey performed of territory under the direct control of the in Kantō. * 1695 (''Genroku 8, 8th month''): Minting begun of Genroku coinage. The shogunate placed the Japanese character on the obverse of copper coins, the same character used today in China for the . There is no connection between those uses, however. * 1695 (''Genroku 8, 11th month''): First kennel is established for stray dogs in

. In this context, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi comes to be nicknamed "the Dog ". * 1697 (''Genroku 10''): The fourth official map of Japan () was made in this year, but it was considered to be inferior to the previous one—which had been ordered in Shōhō 1 (1605) and completed in Kan'ei 16 (1639). This map was corrected in

Kyōhō , also pronounced Kyōho, was a after '' Shōtoku'' and before '' Gembun.'' This period spanned the years from July 1716 through April 1736. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1716 : The era name of ''Kyōhō'' (meaning "Underg ...

4 (1719) by the mathematician Tatebe Katahiro (1644–1739), using high mountain peaks as points of reference, and was drawn to a scale of 1:21,600.Traganeou, Jilly. (2004). ''The Tokaido Road: Traveling and Representation in Edo and Meiji Japan'' * 1697 (''Genroku 10''): Great fire in Edo. * 1698 (''Genroku 11''): Another great fire in Edo. A new hall is constructed inside the enclosure of the Edo temple of Kan'ei-ji (which is also known as Tōeizan Kan'ei-ji or "Hiei-san of the east" after the temple of Enryaku-ji at Mount Hiei near to

Heian-kyō Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180. Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in 794, mov ...

). * 1700 (''Genroku 13, 11th month''): Exchange rate of silver coins established. * 1703 (''Genroku 15, 12th month''):

Akō Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Harima Province in what is now the southwestern portion of modern-day Hyōgo Prefecture. It was centered around Akō Castle, which is located in what is now the ...

incident involving the

47 47, 47 or forty-seven may refer to: *47 (number) *47 BC *AD 47 *1947 *2047 *'47 (brand), an American clothing brand * ''47'' (magazine), an American publication * 47 (song), a song by Sidhu Moose Wala *47, a song by New Found Glory from the album ...

. * 1703 (''Genroku 16, 3rd month''): Ōishi Yoshio commits

ritual suicide A suicide method is any means by which a person chooses to end their life. Suicide attempts do not always result in death, and a nonfatal suicide attempt can leave the person with serious physical injuries, long-term health problems, and brai ...

. * 1703 (''Genroku 16, 5th month''): First performance of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's play '' The Love Suicides at Sonezaki''. * December 31, 1703 (''Genroku 16, 23rd day of the 11th month''): The Great Genroku earthquake shook Edo and parts of the shogun's castle collapsed.Hammer, Joshua. (2006)
''Yokohama Burning: The Deadly 1923 Earthquake and Fire that Helped Forge the Path to World War II'', p. 63.
/ref> The following day, a vast fire spread throughout the city. Parts of Honshū's coast were battered by tsunami, and up to 200,000 people were either killed or injured.

Prominent figures of the Genroku era

* Chikamatsu Monzaemon— playwright *

Ichikawa Danjūrō I was an early kabuki actor in Japan. He remains today one of the most famous of all kabuki actors and is considered one of the most influential. His many influences include the pioneering of the ''aragoto'' style of acting which came to be larg ...

, Sakata Tōjūrō I, Yoshizawa Ayame I—kabuki actors * Ihara Saikaku—novelist * Arai Hakuseki—Confucian scholar and shogunal advisor *The Forty-seven * Ogata Kōrin and Ogata Kenzan— Rinpa school artists * Torii Kiyonobu, Hishikawa Moronobu, Miyagawa Chōshun— ukiyo-e artists *

Matsuo Bashō born then was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative '' haikai no renga'' form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as the greatest ma ...

— Haiku poet

Notes

References

* Hammer, Joshua. (2006). ''Yokohama Burning: The Deadly 1923 Earthquake and Fire that Helped Forge the Path to World War II''. New York: Simon & Schuster.
OCLC 67774380
* 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 Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...

.
OCLC 65177072
* Smith, Robert John and Richard K. Beardsley. (2004). ''Japanese Culture: Its Development And Characteristics''. London: Routledge. * Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''

Nihon Ōdai Ichiran , ', is a 17th-century chronicle of the serial reigns of Japanese emperors with brief notes about some of the noteworthy events or other happenings. According to the 1871 edition of the ''American Cyclopaedia'', the 1834 French translation of ...

''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon''.
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691
* Traganeou, Jilly. (2004). ''The Metaphorical Road of the Tōkaid: Traveling and Representation in Edo and Meiji Japan''. London:

.
OCLC 52347509

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 ...