SamuraiWiki:About dates

Use of Dates on the SamuraiWiki

All dates, unless otherwise noted, are the Japanese equivalent (the lunar calendar). However, the Western date will also be generally listed for events taking place between Commodore Perry's arrival in Japan in 1853 until the Japanese calendar was changed to the Western Gregorian calendar in 1873, or in the years before this if it is pertinent to the article in question. It will also be used for events prior to this when applicable, namely when Westerners were involved in the events of Japanese history during the Sengoku and early Edo period. When the Western date is also applicable, it will be noted in various ways.

Data Headings

• Birth: 1848/5/20 (6/20/1848)

This indicates that the person in question was born on the Japanese date of 5/20 in the year 1848, which corresponds to the Western date of June 20th.

In-Text Format

The standard for date listings in text are to write out the day, month, and year:

• The 20th day of the 5th month (of 1848)

Depending on context or flow of the text, 1848/5/20 or 5/20/1848 are also acceptable. Unless there is a second date in parenthesis, the dates listed are understood to be the Japanese equivalent.

In-Text Examples

Examples of the Japanese calendar followed by the Western calendar are as follows:

• 1867/6/14 (7/15/1867)
• The 14th day of the sixth month (June 15th)
• The 14th day of the sixth month, 1867 (June 15th, 1867)
• The 14th day of the sixth month of the third year of Keio (June 15th, 1867)
• The 14th day of the sixth month of Keio 3 (June 15th, 1867)

And so on. In all cases, the Japanese lunar calendar comes first, followed by the Western date.