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 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 should be appointed as his successor. * 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''):Ponsonby-Fane's published nengō would have this be 4 January rather than 6 January. The restoration of the Imperial government was announced to the ''

kuge The was a Japanese Aristocracy (class), aristocratic Social class, 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 ce ...

''. 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 coalition seeking to seize political power in the name of the Impe ...

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 sho ...

. * 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 () 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 standing army of over 5000. It was oft ...

begins. * October 12, 1868 (''Keiō 4, 27th day of the 8th month''): Emperor Meiji is crowned in the Shishin-den in Kyoto. * 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 , abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally established as a school for Rangaku, Western studies in 1858 in Edo. It was granted university status in 1920, becomi ...

, 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.

Notes

References

* * n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ''see'
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File
. * *

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 ...