1608

Keichô 13 (慶長十三年)

Timeline of 1608

• 1608/8 Ichiki Obusei, Murao Shôsei, and the Buddhist priest Daijiji Seiin travel to the Kingdom of Ryûkyû as representatives of Satsuma han, seeking Ryûkyû's submission to Shimazu and Tokugawa authority.
• 1608/9/19 Shimazu Iehisa is commanded by the shogun to pacify Ryûkyû.

Other Events of 1608

• The golden tea room of Fushimi castle is moved to Kyoto.
• Iwakuni castle is built by Kikkawa Hiroie.
• Shimazu Iehisa issues the Ryûkyû tokai no gunshû go-hatto no jôjô, a series of orders or policies for his retainers to observe in their invasion of Ryûkyû the following year.
• Saga-bon begin to be published.
• Construction is begun on the Takasegawa canal in Kyoto (completed 1611).
• The telescope is invented in Holland.
• Tokugawa Ieyasu orders kabuki out of Suruga province.
• The Vatican reverses an earlier papal bull which had granted the Society of Jesus exclusive authority to proselytize in Japan; all Catholic orders are now permitted to do so.

Births and Deaths

• Kanô Mitsunobu, painter, dies (b. 1561).
• Koriki Kiyonaga, bugyô of Mikawa, dies (b. 1530).
• Nakae Tôjû is born (d. 1648).
• Sanada Masayuki dies (b. 1544).
• Tokugawa Tadayoshi dies (b. 1580).
• Torii Tadaharu is born (d. 1651).
• Yashiro Kageyori, Date clan retainer, dies (b. 1561).

Previous Year 1607

1608

Following Year 1609