The Kōbun period is a chronological

Chronology

Chronology is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time, such as the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It is also "the determination of the actual temporal sequence of past events".Chronology is part of periodization...

 timeframe during the Asuka period

Asuka period

The , was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 , although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period...

 of Japanese history. The Kōbun period describes a span of years which were considered to have begun in the 1332nd year of the Yamato dynasty.

This periodization

Periodization

Periodization is the attempt to categorize or divide time into named blocks. The result is a descriptive abstraction that provides a useful handle on periods of time with relatively stable characteristics...

 is congruent with the short reign of Emperor Kōbun

Emperor Kobun

was the 39th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Kōbun's reign lasted only a few months in 671–672.-Traditional narrative:...

, which is traditionally considered to have been from 672 through 673.

Periodization

The adoption of the Sexegenary cycle calendar (Jikkan Jūnishi) in Japan is attributed to Empress Suiko

Empress Suiko

was the 33rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Suiko's reign spanned the years from 593 until her death in 628....

 in 604; and this Chinese calendar continued in use throughout the Kōbun period.

In 645, the system of was introduced. However, after the reign of Emperor Kotoku

Emperor Kotoku

was the 36th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.The years of his reign lasted from 645 through 654.-Traditional narrative:Before Kōtoku ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was or...

, this method of segmenting time

Time

Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....

 was temporarily abandoned or allowed to lapse. This interval continued during the Kōbun period.

Neither Emperor Kōbun's reign nor the Kōbun periodization are included in the list of nengō for this explicit duration

Duration

In music duration is an amount of time or a particular time interval. A duration is a property of a note that becomes one of the bases of rhythm.A tone may be sustained for varying lengths of time...

 of time

Time

Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....

. The was an unofficial nengō during the reign of Emperor Kōbun after Hakuchi

Hakuchi

Hakuchi can refer to:* Hakuchi Adyghe, a minority dialect of Adyghe spoken in Turkey.* Hakuchi, a tribe of the Adyghe people.* The Idiot , a film directed by Akira Kurosawa....

and before Suchō

Sucho

Gedalia Suchowolski is an Israeli painter and sculptor known by his nickname Sucho.-Biography:Gedalia Suchowolski was born in Białystok, Poland...

. The duration

Duration

In music duration is an amount of time or a particular time interval. A duration is a property of a note that becomes one of the bases of rhythm.A tone may be sustained for varying lengths of time...

 of this discrete non-nengō timespan lasted for about two years.

In the post-Taika or pre-Taihō chronology, the first year of Emperor Kōbun's reign (弘文天皇元年 or 弘文天皇1年) is also construed as the first year of the Kōbun period (弘文1年).

Non-nengō period

Non-nengō periods in the pre-Taihō calendar were published in 1880 by William Bramsen. These were refined in 1952 by Paul Tuschihashi

Paul Tuschihashi

, S.J. was a Japanese Roman Catholic priest, mathematician, astronomer, Sinologist, lexicographer, academic and administrator. Father Paul is known for having developed extensive tables for converting traditional Japanese era dates into Gregorian calendar equivalents — compare, e.g., which...

 in Japanese Chronological Tables from 601 to 1872.

The pre-Tahiō calendar included two non-nengō gaps or interval

Interval

Interval may refer to:* Interval , a range of numbers * Interval measurements or interval variables in statistics is a level of measurement...

s in the chronological series:

• Taika
  Taika (era)
  was a during the reign of Kōtoku. The Taika era immediately preceded the Hakuchi era. This period spanned the years from August 645 through February 650.-Change of era:...
  
  , August 645–February 650.
• Hakuchi
  Hakuchi (era)
  was a after the Taika era and before Shuchō. This period spanned the years from February 650 through December 654. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
  
  , February 650–December 654.
  • Non-nengō dating systems
• Shuchō
  Shucho
  , alternatively read as Suchō or Akamitori, was a after a gap following Hakuchi and before another gap lasting until Taihō . This Shuchō period briefly spanned a period of mere months, June through September of 686...
  
  , July–September 686.
  • Non-nengō dating systems
• Taihō
  Taiho (era)
  was a after a late 7th century interruption in the sequence of nengō after Shuchō and before Keiun. This period spanned the years from March 701 through May 704. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
  
  , March 701–May 704.

Nengō were not promulgated (or were allowed to lapse) during the gap years between Hakuchi and Shuchō, and in another gap between Shuchō and Taihō.

Concurrent Chronologies
Non-nengō periods	Nengō eras Japanese era name The Japanese era calendar scheme is a common calendar scheme used in Japan, which identifies a year by the combination of the and the year number within the era...	Shinengō	Yamato dynasty duration Imperial House of Japan The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the Yamato Dynasty, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the emperor is the symbol of the state and unity of the people...	Western calendar dates Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
	Taika		1305	645
	Hakuchi		1310	650
Saimei's reign Saimei (period) The Saimei period is a chronological timeframe during the Asuka period of Japanese history. The Saimei period describes a span of years which were considered to have begun in the 1315th year of the Yamato dynasty....			1315	655
Tenji's reign Tenji (period) The Tenji period is a brief span of years during the Asuka period of Japanese history. The Tenji period describes a span of years which were considered to have begun in the 1322nd year of the Yamato dynasty....			1322	662
Kōbun's reign		Sujaku	1332	672
Temmu's reign Temmu (period) The Temmu period is a chronological timeframe during the Asuka period of Japanese history. The Temmu period describes a span of years which were considered to have begun in the 1333rd year of the Yamato dynasty....		Hakuhō Hakuhō period The was an unofficial of Emperor Temmu after Hakuchi and before Suchō. The duration of this discrete non-nengō timespan lasted from 673 through 686.The Hakuhō period is more often used as a general term which describe a wider range of years....	1333	673
	Suchō		1346	686
Jitō's reign Jito (period) The Jitō period is a chronological timeframe during the Asuka period of Japanese history. The Jitō period describes a span of years which were considered to have begun in the 1347th year of the Yamato dynasty....			1347	687
		Taika	1350	695
Mommu's reign Mommu (period) The Mommu period is a chronological timeframe during the Asuka period of Japanese history. The Mommu period describes a span of years which were considered to have begun in the 1357th year of the Yamato dynasty....			1357	697
	Taihō		1361	701

Events of the Kōbun period

• 672 (Kōbun 1): Emperor Tenji dies; and his son, Prince Ō-ama (later to become Emperor Temmu), declines to receive the succession (senso). Shortly thereafter, his older brother, Ō-tomo (posthumously known as Emperor Kōbun after 1870), formally accedes to the throne (sokui).
• 672 (Kōbun 1): A new period is marked by the beginning of the reign of Emperor Kōbun; but this posthoumus name was created retroactively in 1870, and Meji scholars did not determine retroactively that a new nengō should have commenced with the beginning of Kōbun's accession.

External links

• National Diet Library, "The Japanese Calendar" -- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection

Kōbun period	1st	2nd
Gregorian Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...	672 672 Year 672 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 672 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Wamba succeeds Reccaswinth as king of the...	673 673 Year 673 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 673 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Hlothhere becomes king of Kent.* The city...

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