Changes

Four major ways have been used to identify years in Japan.  One is by reign years,  a system used in early history; another is counting from the beginning of a year period, or era, (the ''nengô'' 年号system), which is still the official dating system; the third, now used only marginally in Japan, follows the Chinese 60-year cycle (''kanshi'' 干支 system); and the fourth is the Western, or Christian, calendar. <ref>There is also the very marginal Kôki 皇紀 system.  Japan established this method of counting years in 1872. In it, Year 1 was the first year of the reign of [[Emperor Jimmu]], calculated from the [[Nihon Shoki]] to be 660 B.C.  This system was mentioned in the 1898 law establishing leap years; year dates are often given in it (along with the western year) in the front of almanacs, and it was used in naming the 2600 (=1940 A.D.) Zero airplane. I also saw it on a shrine memorial stella commemorating the 26th centenary of 2601 (=1941 A.D.). However, I have never seen it used simply for a date, though there may be some people or groups who use it ideosyncratically.</ref>

Four major ways have been used to identify years in Japan: counting from the beginning of a year period, or era, (the ''nengô'' 年号system), which is still the official dating system; reign years, a system used by historians for dates in early history; the Chinese 60-year cycle (''kanshi'' 干支 system), now used only marginally in Japan; and the Western, or Christian, calendar. <ref>There is also the very marginal Kôki 皇紀 system.  Japan established this method of counting years in 1872. In it, Year 1 was the first year of the reign of [[Emperor Jimmu]], calculated from the [[Nihon Shoki]] to be 660 B.C.  This system was mentioned in the 1898 law establishing leap years; year dates are often given in it (along with the western year) in the front of almanacs, and it was used in naming the 2600 (=1940 A.D.) Zero airplane. I also saw it on a shrine memorial stella commemorating the 26th centenary of 2601 (=1941 A.D.). However, its use has always been extremely limited.</ref>

 

 

 

==Reign Years==

==Reign Years==

* Ryusaku Tsunoda, et. al., comp., ''Sources of Japanese Tradition'', Columbia University Press, 1958

* Ryusaku Tsunoda, et. al., comp., ''Sources of Japanese Tradition'', Columbia University Press, 1958

* Aston, W. G., trans., ''Nihongi : chronicles of Japan from the earliest times to A.D. 697'', London : Allen and Unwin. (Translation of the [[Nihon Shoki]])

* Aston, W. G., trans., ''Nihongi : chronicles of Japan from the earliest times to A.D. 697'', London : Allen and Unwin. (Translation of the [[Nihon Shoki]])

[[Category:Resource Articles]][[Category:Timeline]]

[[Category:Resource Articles]][[Category:Timeline]]