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Japanese Measurements

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Premodern Japanese measurements consisted of the following:

Length

Metric Equivalents

  • 1 Rin (厘) = .0303 cm
  • 1 Sun (寸) = 3.03 cm
  • 1 Ata (咫) = 18 cm
  • 1 Shaku (尺) = 30.3 cm
  • 1 Ken (間) = 1.8182 m
  • 1 Jô (丈) = 3.03 m
  • 1 Chô (町) = 109.9 m
  • 1 Ri (里) = 3,927 m[1]
  • 1 Traditional Ri (里) = 654.6 m[1]

Unit Conversions

  • 1 Shaku (尺) = 10 sun (寸)
  • 1 Jô (丈) = 10 shaku (尺)
  • 1 Ken (間) = 6 shaku (尺)
  • 1 Chô (町) = 60 ken (間)
  • 1 Ri (里) = 36 chô (町)[1]
  • 1 Traditional Ri (里) = 6 chô (町)[1]

Area

Metric Equivalents

  • 1 Gô (合) = 33cm2
  • 1 Bu (歩) = 1 Tsubo (坪) = 3.306m2
  • 1 Se (畝) = 99.17m2
  • 1 Tan (反・段) = 991.7m2[2]
  • 1 Chô (町) = 9.917km2[2]

Unit Conversions

  • 1 Bu (歩) = 1 tsubo (坪) = 10 gô (合)
  • 1 Se (畝) = 30 bu (歩) = 30 tsubo (坪)
  • 1 Tan (反・段) = 10 se (畝)[2]
  • 1 Chô (町) = 10 tan (反・段)[2]

Weight

Metric Equivalents

  • 1 Momme (匁) = 3.75g
  • 1 Kin (斤) = 600g[3]
  • 1 Kan (貫) = 3.75kg

Unit Conversions

  • 1 Kin (斤) = 160 momme (匁)
  • 1 Kan (貫) = 1000 momme (匁)

Volume

Metric Equivalents

  • 1 Gô (合) = 180ml
  • 1 Shô or Masu (升) = 1.804 liters
  • 1 To (斗) = 18.04 liters
  • 1 Koku (石) = 180.4 liters

Unit Conversions

  • 1 Shô or Masu (升) = 10 gô (合)
  • 1 To (斗) = 10 shô or masu (升)
  • 1 Hyô (俵) = 1 "bale" or "bag" of rice = 4 to (斗)
  • 1 Koku (石) = 10 to (斗)

References & Notes

  • Lu, David. Japan: A Documentary History. Vol. 1. M.E. Sharpe, 2005. Appendix, pI.
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The length or distance defined as one ri has changed dramatically over time. Though at times it was equivalent to 36 chô, or roughly 3.9km, in certain earlier periods of history one ri was equivalent to six chô, or roughly 0.65 km.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Prior to Toyotomi Hideyoshi decreeing a new standard in 1598, one tan was equal to 360 bu instead of 300 bu, and was therefore roughly equal to 1,190.4m2 instead of 991.7m2. One chô was still ten tan, making chô at that time equal to roughly 11.904km2. In theory, a tan of land produced one koku of rice, and a chô of land produced ten koku of rice.
  3. ↑ The kin is also commonly known as a "catty" in English-language materials (e.g. "400 catties of copper").
 
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