1720

Kyôho 5 (享保五年)

Timeline of 1720

1720/1/1-3 Korean embassy stays at Honnôji in Kyoto on their way from Edo back home to Korea.

Arai Hakuseki completes his Ezo shi ("History of Ezo").
The bans on the importation of certain types of foreign books is lifted.
Futago Sumidagawa, a play by Chikamatsu Monzaemon, is debuted.
King Sukchong is succeeded as King of Joseon Korea (reigned since 1674).
Russian ambassadors to Beijing insist (as they have been since the 1650s) on presenting diplomatic credentials directly into the Emperor's hands, in accordance with European practice, rather than presenting the documents to intermediaries. Qing officials initially compromise, allowing the documents to be placed onto a desk in the Emperor's presence, but the Kangxi Emperor allows them to be handed directly to him.
Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune performs a survey of the shogunate's archives on natural history, and identifies a lack of Chinese materials, especially on geography.

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