Kenpo (建保) was a
Japanese era name (年号, nengō, lit. year name) after Kenryaku and before Jōkyū. This period spanned the years from December 1213 through April 1219.[1] The reigning emperor was
Juntoku-tennō (順徳天皇).[2]
Change of era
1213Kempo gannen (建保元年): The new era name was created because the previous era ended and a new one commenced in Kenryaku 3, on the 6th day of the 12th month of 1213.[3]
Events of the Kempo era
1213 (Kempo 1, 1st day of the 1st month): There was an earthquake at
Kamakura.[4]
1213 (Kempo 1, 11th month):
Fujiwara no Teika, also known as
Fujiwara no Sadeie offered a collection of 8th century poems to Shōgun Sanetomo. These poems were collectively known as the
Man'yōshū.[5]
1214 (Kempo 2, 2nd month): Shōgun Sanetomo, having drunk too much sake, was feeling somewhat uncomfortable; and the Buddhist priest
Eisai, who was the grand priest of the
Jufuku-ji temple-complex, presented the shōgun with an excellent tea, which restored his good health.[5]
1214 (Kempo 2, 3rd month): The emperor went to
Kasuga.[5]
1214 (Kempo 2, 4th month): A group of militant priests living on
Mt. Hiei set fire to the central temple structure at
Enryaku-ji. The damage was repaired at the expense of Shōgun Sanetomo.[5]
1215 (Kempo 3, 6th month): The well-known priest
Eisai died at age 75; his remains were interred at the temple of
Kennin-ji which he had founded in Kyoto.[5]
1215 (Kempo 3, 8th-9th months): There were many, serial earthquakes in the
Kamakura area.[5]
1217 (Kempo 5, 8th-9th months): The emperor visited the Shrines at
Hirano and at
Ōharano near Kyoto.[6]
^Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du Japon, pp. 230-238; Brown, Delmer et al. (1979). Gukanshō, pp. 341-343; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki. pp. 221-223.