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was a after '' Bunroku'' and before '' Genna''. This period spanned from October 1596 to July 1615. The reigning emperors were and .


Change of era

* 1596 : The era name was changed to ''Keichō'' to mark the passing of various natural disasters. The preceding era ended and a new one commenced on October 27 of the 5th ''Bunroku''.


Events of the ''Keichō'' era

* 1596 (''Keichō 1''): ''Keichō'' Invasion (invasion of
Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
). * September 18, 1598 (''Keichō 3, 18th day of the 8th month''):
Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...
died in his Fushimi Castle at the age of 63.Titsingh
p. 405.
/ref> * October 21, 1600 (''Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month''):
Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...
. The
Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty which produced the Tokugawa shoguns who ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868 during the Edo period. It was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of ...
and its allies decisively vanquish all opposition. * January 15, 1602 (''Keichō 7, 24th day of the 11th month''): A fire at the Hōkō-ji temple complex in Kyoto was caused by careless workmen; and the great image of the buddha and the structure housing the statue (the Daibutsu-den) were consumed by the flames. * 1603 (''Keichō 8''):
Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...
became ''
shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers 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, except during parts of the Kamak ...
'', which effectively becomes the beginning of what will become the Edo ''bakufu''. Toyotomi Hideyori was elevated to Naidaijin in Miyako
Daijō-kan The , also known as the Great Council of State, was (i) (''Daijō-kan'') the highest organ of Japan's premodern Imperial government under the Ritsuryō legal system during and after the Nara period or (ii) (''Dajō-kan'') the highest organ of Jap ...
.Titisngh
p. 409.
/ref> * 1604-1606 (''Keichō 9-11''):
Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...
undertook the rebuilding of Asama Shrine at the base of
Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...
in
Suruga Province was an Provinces of Japan, old province in the area that is today the central part of Shizuoka Prefecture. Suruga bordered on Izu Province, Izu, Kai Province, Kai, Sagami Province, Sagami, Shinano Province, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Province, Tōtōm ...
in fulfillment of a vow and in gratitude for the help of the ''kami'' during the
Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...
in 1600. * 1605 (''Keichō 10''): Tokugawa Hidetada was named successor ''shōgun'' after his father "retires" from the position of ''shōgun''. * 1605 (''Keichō 10''): The first official map of Japan was ordered in this year and completed in 1639 at a scale of 1:280,000. * January 23, 1605 (''Keichō 10, 15th day of the 12th month''): A new volcanic island, Hachijōko-jima, arose from the sea at the side of in the which stretch south and east from the Izu Peninsula. * 1606 (''Keichō 11''): Construction began on
Edo Castle is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is therefore also known as . Tokugawa Ieyasu established th ...
. * 1607 (''Keichō 12''): Construction began on Sunpu Castle in Suruga; and an ambassador from China arrived with greetings for the emperor of Japan. * 1609 (''Keichō 14''): Invasion of Ryukyu by Shimazu ''
daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...
'' of Satsuma. * August 24, 1609 (''Keichō 14, 25th day of the 6th month'') NengoCalc
慶長十四年七月二十五日 -->: Trading pass (''handelpas'') issued to Dutch East Indies Company in the name of Ieyasu Tokugawa. * November 15, 1610 (''Keichō 15, 30th day of the 9th month''): Toyotomi Hideyori sponsors work which is begun to rebuild the Hōkō-ji in line with the plans which his father had supported; and this will include recreating the Daibutsu of Kyoto in bronze to replace the wooden image which had been burned. At this time, Hideyori also decides to order a great bell cast in bronze. * May 20, 1610 (''Keichō 15, 27th day of the 3rd month''): Hideyori came to Kyoto to visit the former-''shōgun''
Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...
; and the same day, the emperor resigns in favor of his son Masahito. Emperor Go-Yōzei abdicates; and his son receives the succession (''senso''). * 1611 (''Keichō 16''): Emperor Go-Mizunoo formally accedes to the throne (''sokui''). * 1613 (''Keichō 18''): In the years 1613 through 1620,
Hasekura Tsunenaga was a kirishitan Japanese samurai and retainer of Date Masamune, the daimyō of Sendai. He was of Japanese imperial descent with ancestral ties to Emperor Kanmu. Other names include Philip Francis Faxicura, Felipe Francisco Faxicura, and Ph ...
headed a diplomatic mission to the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
in Rome, traveling through
New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...
(arriving in
Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...
and departing from
Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...
) and visiting various ports-of-call in Europe. This historic mission is called the ''Keichō'' Embassy, (). On the return trip, Hasekura and his companions re-traced their route across Mexico in 1619, sailing from Acapulco for Manilla, and then sailing north to Japan in 1620. This is conventionally considered the first Japanese ambassador in the
Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...
and in Europe. * 1614 (''Keichō 19''):
Siege of Osaka A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...
. The ''shōgun'' vanquished Hideyori and set fire to
Osaka Castle is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi–Momoyama period. Layout Th ...
, and then he returned for the winter to Edo.Titsingh
p. 410.
/ref> * August 24, 1614 (''Keichō 19, 19th day of the 7th month''): A new bronze bell for the Hōkō-ji was cast successfull
– see 19th century photo of Hōkō-ji bell
http://oldphoto.lb.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/en/target.php?id=3093, and see old photo of bell]; but despite dedication ceremony planning, Ieyasu forbade any further actions concerning the great bell: ::" e tablet over the Daibatsu-den and the bell bore the inscription ''"Kokka ankō"'' (meaning "the country and the house, peace and tranquility"), and at this Tokugawa Ieyasu affected to take umbrage, alleging that it was intended as a curse on him for the character 安 (''an'', "peace") was placed between the two characters composing his own name 家康 (''"ka-kō"'', "house tranquility") uggesting subtly perhaps that peace could only be attained by Ieyasu's dismemberment?... This incident of the inscription was, of course, a mere
pretext A pretext (: ''pretextual'') is an excuse to do something or say something that is not accurate. Pretexts may be based on a half-truth or developed in the context of a misleading fabrication. Pretexts have been used to conceal the true purpose or r ...
, but Ieyasu realized that he could not enjoy the power he had usurped as long as Hideyori lived, and consequently, although the latter more than once dispatched his ''kerei'' Katagiri Kastumoto to Sunpu Castle with profuse apologies, Ieyasu refused to be placated." * October 18, 1614 (''Keichō 19, 25th day of the 10th month''): A strong earthquake shook Kyoto. * 1615 (''Keichō 20''): Osaka Summer Battle begins.


Era developments

* Copper, silver and gold coins called ''Keichō-tsūhō'' were issued in the ''Keichō'' era helping to unify the currency system. * ''Keichō-chokuhan'', also called ''Keichō shinkoku-bon'', were Imperial publications, produced during the ''Keichō'' era at the command of Emperor Go-Yōzei and printed using moveable type which had been imported from the Joseon Kingdom on the Korean peninsula. * ''Keichō no katsuji-ban'' was the general name for the first works printed with moveable typ during the ''Keichō'' era. * also called the ''Kembun-shū'' was a book, a collection of tales and anecdotes compiled by Miura Jōshin (1565–1644).Nussbaum, "''Keichō kemmon-shū''" i
''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 504.
/ref>


Notes


References

* de Winter, Michiel. (2006)
"''VOC in Japan: Betrekkingen tussen Hollanders en Japanners in de Edo-periode, tussen 1602–1795''"
("VOC in Japan: Relations between the Dutch and Japanese in the Edo-period, between 1602–1795"). * Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). ''Japan Encyclopedia.'' Cambridge:
Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...
.
OCLC 48943301
* Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan''.
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. . * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon (1962)
''Studies in Shinto and Shrines''.
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. . * Screech, Timon. (2006)
''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779–1822''.
London: RoutledgeCurzon. ; . * Titsingh, Isaac (1834). '' Nihon Ōdai Ichiran''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon''
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. . * Traganeou, Jilly. (2004)
''The Tokaido Road: Traveling and Representation in Edo and Meiji Japan''
London: RoutledgeCurzon. .


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" �
overview plus illustrative images from library's collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keicho 1590s in Japan 1600s in Japan 1610s in Japan Japanese eras 16th-century neologisms