was a after ''
Genki'' and before ''
Bunroku''. This period spanned the years from July 1573 through December 1592.
[Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tenshō''" i]
''Japan encyclopedia'', p. 961
n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ''see'
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File
. The reigning emperors were and .
Change of era
* 1573 : The new era name was created to mark a number of regional wars. The era name was inspired by a passage from the Chinese classic
Laozi
Laozi (), also known by numerous other names, was a semilegendary ancient Chinese Taoist philosopher. Laozi ( zh, ) is a Chinese honorific, generally translated as "the Old Master". Traditional accounts say he was born as in the state of ...
: :"Those who are at peace with nature bring all under Heaven into its correct pattern" (清静者為天下正).
The era name ''Tenshō'' was suggested by
da Nobunaga The previous era ended and a new one commenced in ''Genki'' 4, the 28th day of the 7th month.
Events of the ''Tenshō'' era
European dates up to October 4, 1582 are given in the
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematics, Greek mathematicians and Ancient Greek astronomy, as ...
. Dates since October 15, 1582 are given in the
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years di ...
.
* 1573 (''Tenshō 1, 7th month''):
Ashikaga Yoshiaki
"Ashikaga Yoshiaki" in '' The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 625. was the 15th and final '' shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan who reigned from 1568 to 1573.Ackroyd, ...
lost his position as shōgun. He shaved his head, becoming a Buddhist priest. Initially, he took the priestly name Sho-san, but he eventually came to be known as Rei-o In.
* 1574 (''Tenshō 2, 1st month''): Sectarian rebellion in
Echizen Province.
* 1574 (''Tenshō 2, 9th month''): Suppression of sectarian rebellion in
Nagashima.
* 1575 (''Tenshō 3, 5th month''):
Takeda Katsuyori
was a Japanese '' daimyō'' of the Sengoku period, who was famed as the head of the Takeda clan and the successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was son in law of Hojo Ujiyasu.
Early life
He was the son of Shingen by the daugh ...
led an army into
Tōtōmi Province where he lay siege to
Nagashino Castle. The Tokugawa defended the castle; and Tokugawa Ieayasu sought assistance from Oda Nobunaga. In response, Nobunaga and his son Nobutada arrived at Nagashino with a large force. In the ensuing
Battle of Nagashino
The took place in 1575 near Nagashino Castle on the plain of Shitaragahara in the Mikawa Province of Japan. Takeda Katsuyori attacked the castle when Okudaira Sadamasa rejoined the Tokugawa, and when his original plot with Oga Yashiro for t ...
, the Takeda attackers were forced to retreat.
* 1576 (''Tenshō 4''):
Takeda Katsuyori
was a Japanese '' daimyō'' of the Sengoku period, who was famed as the head of the Takeda clan and the successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was son in law of Hojo Ujiyasu.
Early life
He was the son of Shingen by the daugh ...
ordered the rebuilding of the
Asama Shrine at the base of
Mount Fuji
, or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highes ...
in
Suruga Province.
[Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1962). ''Studies in Shinto and Shrines'', p.462.]
* 1579 (''Tenshō 7, 5th month''): Azuchi Sect Debates at
Azuchi Castle.
* 1579 (''Tenshō 7, 6th month''):
Akechi Mitsuhide
, first called Jūbei from his clan and later from his title, was a Japanese ''samurai'' general of the Sengoku period best known as the assassin of Oda Nobunaga. Mitsuhide was a bodyguard of Ashikaga Yoshiaki and later a successful general under ...
makes himself master of
Tanba Province.
[Titsingh]
p. 394.
/ref>
* 1579 (''Tenshō 7, 10th month''): Oda Nobukatsu launches first Tenshō Iga War, ending with his defeat.
* 1580 (''Tenshō 8, 11th month''): Kaga sectarian rebellion suppressed.Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese '' daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan.
Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unif ...
relaunches the second Tenshō Iga War, ending with victory and Iga under left under Nobukatsu's control.
* 1582 (''Tenshō 10''): Takeda Katsuyori
was a Japanese '' daimyō'' of the Sengoku period, who was famed as the head of the Takeda clan and the successor to the legendary warlord Takeda Shingen. He was son in law of Hojo Ujiyasu.
Early life
He was the son of Shingen by the daugh ...
utter defeat by the forces of Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese '' daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan.
Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unif ...
led to the destruction of Takeda-built structures at the Asama Shrine.Battle of Yamazaki
The was fought in 1582 in Shimamoto, Osaka, Yamazaki, Japan, located in current-day Kyoto Prefecture. This battle is sometimes referred to as the Battle of Mt. Tennō (天王山の戦い ''Tennō-zan no tatakai'').
In the Honnō-ji Incident, ...
, Council of Kiyosu
A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...
.
* February 20, 1582 (''Tenshō 10, 28th day of the 1st month''): A Japanese mission or embassy to Europe (''Tenshō Ken'ō Shisetsu'') sailed from Nagasaki, and its members would not return until 1590.Keichō
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 disaste ...
'' Embassy") in 1613–1620, this historic diplomatic initiative remains a noteworthy accomplishment. The mission is sometimes referred to as the "''Tenshō'' Embassy" because it was initiated in the ''Tenshō'' era. This venture was organized by three ''daimyō
were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominall ...
s'' of Western Japan – Ōmura Sumitada, Ōtomo Sōrin and Arima Harunobu.
* 1583 (''Tenshō 11, 4th month''): Battle of Shizugatake.
* 1584 (''Tenshō 12, 4th month''): Battle of Komaki and Nagakute.
* August 10, 1585 (''Tenshō 13, 15th day of the 7th month''): The Japanese mission to the West (''Tenshō Ken'ō Shisetsu'') arrived in Lisbon.Toyotomi Hideyoshi
, otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and '' daimyō'' ( feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the C ...
is given the position of '' kampaku'' by Ōgimachi.
* December 17, 1586 (''Tenshō 14, 7th day of the 11th month''): Ogimachi gave over the reins of government to his grandson, who would become Emperor Go-Yozei. There had been no such Imperial since Emperor Go-Hanazono abdicated in ''Kanshō'' 5. The dearth of abdications is attributable to the disturbed state of the country and to the fact that there was neither any dwelling in which an ex-emperor could live nor any excess funds in the treasury to support him.
* 1586 (''Tenshō 14, 12th month''): A marriage is arranged between the youngest sister of Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fel ...
.[Titsingh]
p. 402.
/ref>
* 1586 (''Tenshō 14, 12th month''): The ''kampaku'', Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was nominated to be ''Daijō-daijin''.[Titsingh]
p. 405.
/ref>
* 1592 (''Tenshō 20, 4th month''): The Imjin War
The Imjin River ( in South Korea) or Rimjin River ( in North Korea) is the 7th largest river in Korea. It flows from north to south, crossing the Korean Demilitarized Zone, Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River (Korea), Han River downstre ...
begins with the Siege of Busanjin.
In 1589–1590 (in the 23rd year of the reign of King Seonjo of Joseon), a diplomatic mission led by Hwang Yun-gil was sent to Japan.[Rutt, Richard ''et al.'' (2003)]
''Korea: a Historical and Cultural Dictionary'', p. 190.
/ref> The Joseon ambassador was received by Hideyoshi.[Kang]
''Diplomacy and Ideology'', p. 275.
/ref>
In popular culture
The fictional plot of the classic Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dy ...
film '' Seven Samurai'' takes place in the 15th year of ''Tenshō''.
Notes
References
* Kang, Etsuko Hae-jin. (1997). ''Diplomacy and Ideology in Japanese-Korean Relations: from the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century''. Basingstoke, Hampshire; Macmillan. ;
* 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 reti ...
.
OCLC 48943301
* Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan''.
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* ____________. (1962).
''Studies in Shinto and Shrines''.
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 3994492
* Rutt, Richard and James Hoare. (2003). ''Korea: a Historical and Cultural Dictionary''. London: Routledge
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, ...
.
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). '' Nihon Ōdai Ichiran''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon''.
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691
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 t ...
, "The Japanese Calendar
-- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tensho
Japanese eras
1570s in Japan
1580s in Japan
1590s in Japan