From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Keiō (慶応, historically 慶應) was a Japanese era name (年号, nengō, literally "year name") after Genji and before Meiji. The period spanned the years from May 1865 to October 1868. [1] The reigning emperors were Kōmei-tennō (孝明天皇) and Meiji-tennō (明治天皇).

Change of era

  • May 1, 1865 (Genji 2/Keiō 1, 7th day of the 4th month) Keiō gannen (慶応元年): The new era name of Keiō (meaning "Jubilant Answer") was created to mark the Kinmon Incident. The previous era ended and a new one commenced in Genji 2.

Events of the Keiō era

  • 1866 (Keiō 2): Goryōkaku completed
  • August 29, 1866 (Keiō 2, 20th day of the 7th month): Shōgun Iemochi died at Osaka; and the bakufu petitioned that Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu should be appointed as his successor. [2]
  • January 10, 1867 (Keiō 2, 5th day of the 12th month): Yoshinobu was appointed shōgun. [2]
  • January 30, 1867 (Keiō 2, 25th day of the 12th month): Emperor Komei died. [2]
  • February 13, 1867 (Keiō 3, 9th day of the 1st month): Mutsuhito ascended to the throne as Emperor Meiji. [3]
  • November 10, 1867 (Keiō 3, 15th day of the 10th month): An Imperial edict was issued sanctioning the restoration of Imperial government. [2]
  • January 6, 1868 (Keiō 3, 10th day of the 12th month): [4] The restoration of the Imperial government was announced to the kuge. The year 1868 began as Keio 3, and did not become Meiji 1 until the 8th day of the 9th month of Keio 4, i.e., October 23; although retrospectively, it was quoted as the first year of the new era from 25 January onwards. [2]
  • January 27, 1868 (Keiō 4, 3rd of the 1st month): The Boshin War begins with the Battle of Toba–Fushimi.
  • September 3, 1868 (Keiō 4, 17th day of the 7th month): Edo was renamed "Tokyo", i.e. meaning "Eastern Capital". [5]
  • October 8, 1868 (Keiō 4, 23rd of the 8th month): Battle of Aizu begins.
  • October 12, 1868 (Keiō 4, 27th day of the 8th month): Emperor Meiji is crowned in the Shishin-den in Kyoto. [6]
  • October 23, 1868 (Keiō 4/Meiji 1, 8th day of the 9th month): The nengō is formally changed from Keiō to Meiji; and a general amnesty is granted. [6] The adoption of the Meiji nengō was done retroactively to January 25, 1868 (Keiō 4/Meiji 1, 1st day of the 1st month).

Keio University

Keio University, which was initially established in 1858 ( Ansei 5), seven years before the beginning of the Keiō era, is named after this era. This is the oldest existing institution of higher learning in Japan. [7]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Nussbaum (2005), p.  505, "Keiō".
  2. ^ a b c d e Ponsonby-Fane (1956), p. 326.
  3. ^ Keene (2002), p. 98.
  4. ^ Ponsonby-Fane's published nengō would have this be 4 January rather than 6 January.
  5. ^ Ponsonby-Fane (1956), p. 327.
  6. ^ a b Ponsonby-Fane (1956), p. 328.
  7. ^ Ozaki (2001), p. 21.

References

  • Keene, Donald (2002). Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852–1912. Columbia University Press. ISBN  978-0231123402. OCLC  46731178.
  • Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric (2005). Japan Encyclopedia. Translated by Käthe Roth. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN  978-0-674-01753-5. OCLC  48943301. n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, see Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File Archived 2012-05-24 at archive.today.
  • Ozaki, Yukio (2001). The Autobiography of Ozaki Yukio: The Struggle for Constitutional Government in Japan. Translated by Fujiko Hara. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN  9780691050959. OCLC  45363447.
  • Ponsonby-Fane, Richard A. B. (1956). Kyoto: The Old Capital of Japan, 794-1869. Kyoto: The Ponsonby Memorial Society. OCLC  559477127.

External links

Preceded by
Genji (元治)
Era of Japan
Keiō (慶応)

1 May 1865 – 22 October 1868
Succeeded by
Meiji (明治)