Tenmei
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese era name
(年号, nengō, lit. year name), also known as Temmei, after An'ei
and before Kansei
. This period spanned the years from April 1781 through January 1789. The reigning emperor was .
As is customary for choosing nengō
, the name was selected from a passage in a historical Chinese text. In this case, the text was Classic of History
(書経) (also quoted in The Great Learning
(大學)). More specifically from the first of the King Tai Jia (大甲) chapters. It says: "先王顧諟天之明命..." meaning "The former king kept his eye continually on the bright requirements of Heaven, [and...]." This is continued with a description of reverence, virtue, and prosperity for the lands. From this, the two characters 天 and 明 were selected.
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...
(年号, nengō, lit. year name), also known as Temmei, after An'ei
Anei
was a after Meiwa and before Tenmei. This period spanned the years November 1772 through March 1781. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:...
and before Kansei
Kansei
was a after Tenmei and before Kyōwa. This period spanned the years from January 1789 through February 1801. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
. This period spanned the years from April 1781 through January 1789. The reigning emperor was .
Change of era
- 1781 : The new era name of Tenmei (meaning "dawn") was created to mark the enthronement of Emperor Kōkaku. The previous era ended and the new one commenced in An'ei 11, on the 2nd day of the 4th month.
As is customary for choosing nengō
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...
, the name was selected from a passage in a historical Chinese text. In this case, the text was Classic of History
Classic of History
The Classic of History is a compilation of documentary records related to events in ancient history of China. It is also commonly known as the Shàngshū , or simply Shū...
(書経) (also quoted in The Great Learning
Great Learning
The Great Learning was one of the "Four Books" in Confucianism. The Great Learning had come from a chapter in the Classic of Rites which formed one of the Five Classics. It consists of a short main text attributed to the teachings of Confucius and then ten commentary chapters accredited to one...
(大學)). More specifically from the first of the King Tai Jia (大甲) chapters. It says: "先王顧諟天之明命..." meaning "The former king kept his eye continually on the bright requirements of Heaven, [and...]." This is continued with a description of reverence, virtue, and prosperity for the lands. From this, the two characters 天 and 明 were selected.
Events of the Tenmei era
- 1782 (Tenmei 2): Great Tenmei Famine is said to have begun.
- 1782 (Tenmei 2): An analysis of silver currency in China and Japan was presented to the emperor by Minamoto no Masatsuna.
- 1783 (Tenmei 3): erupted in ShinanoShinanoShinano may refer to:* Shinano, Nagano, a town in Nagano prefecture, Japan* Shinano River, the longest river in Japan* Shinano Province, one of the old provinces of Japan...
province only 80 miles northwest of Edo—loss of life estimated at 20,000+. [Today, Asama-yama's location is better described as on the border between Gunma and NaganoNagano Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
prefectures]. Japanologist Isaac TitsinghIsaac TitsinghIsaac Titsingh FRS was a Dutch surgeon, scholar, merchant-trader and ambassador.During a long career in East Asia, Titsingh was a senior official of the Dutch East India Company . He represented the European trading company in exclusive official contact with Tokugawa Japan...
's published account of the of Asama-yama eruption will become first of its kind in Europe and the West (1820). The volcano's devastation makes the Great Tenmei Famine even worse. Much of agriculture of ShinanoShinano Provinceor is an old province of Japan that is now present day Nagano Prefecture.Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces...
and KōzukeKozuke Provincewas an old province located in the Tōsandō of Japan, which today comprises Gunma Prefecture. It is nicknamed as or .The ancient provincial capital was near modern Maebashi. During the Sengoku period, Kōzuke was controlled variously by Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin, the late Hōjō clan, and...
provinces would consequently remain unproductive or under-producing for the next four or five years. - 1783 (Tenmei 3): Famine was exacerbated, according to 20th century studies, because after 8 years of near or actual famine, neither the authorities nor the people had any reserves left to meet further drought and crop failures of the "Great Tenmei Famine."
- 1784 (Tenmei 4): Country-wide celebrations in honor of Kōbō-Daishi, founder of Shingon BuddhismBuddhismBuddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
who died 950 years earlier. - 1784 (Tenmei 4): The son of the Shogun's chief counselor was assassinated inside Edo CastleEdo Castle, also known as , is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan. It is located in Chiyoda in Tokyo, then known as Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate here. It was the residence of the shogun and location of the shogunate, and also...
. The comparatively young wakadoshiyori (junior counselor), Tanuma Okitomo, was the son of the senior councilor Tanuma OkitsuguTanuma Okitsugu' was a rōjū of the Tokugawa shogunate who introduced monetary reform. He was also a daimyo, and ruled the Sagara han. He used the title Tonomo-no-kami....
. The younger Tanuma was killed in front of his father as both were returning to their norimono after a meeting of the Counselors of State had broken up. The involvement of senior figures in the bakufu was suspected; however, none but the lone assassin himself was punished. The result was that Tanuma-initiated, liberalizing reforms within the bakufu and relaxing the strictures of sakokuSakokuwas the foreign relations policy of Japan under which no foreigner could enter nor could any Japanese leave the country on penalty of death. The policy was enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu through a number of edicts and policies from 1633–39 and remained in effect until...
were blocked. - September 17, 1786 (Tenmei 6, 25th day of the 8th month): Shogun Tokugawa IeharuTokugawa IeharuTokugawa Ieharu Tokugawa Ieharu Tokugawa Ieharu (徳川家治 (June 20, 1737 – September 17, 1786) was the tenth shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1760 to 1786.Ieharu was the eldest son of Tokugawa Ieshige, the ninth shogun.-Events of the Ieharu's bakufu:...
died and was buried in Edo. - 1787 (Tenmei 7): Tokugawa IenariTokugawa IenariTokugawa Ienari; 徳川 家斉 was the eleventh and longest serving shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan who held office from 1787 to 1837.-First wife:...
becomes the 11th shogunShogunA was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
of the bakufuTokugawa shogunateThe Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
government. - 1787 (Tenmei 7): Kutsuki MasatsunaKutsuki Masatsuna, also known as Kutsuki Oki-no kami Minamoto-no Masatsuna, was a hereditary Japanese daimyo of Oki and Ōmi with holdings in Tamba and Fukuchiyama. His warrior clan was amongst the hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa family in the Edo period...
published Seiyō senpu (Notes on Western Coinage), with plates showing European and colonial currency. - 1788 (Tenmei 7): Riots in rice shops in Edo and OsakaOsakais a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. - 1788 (Tenmei 8): Great Fire of Kyoto. A fire in the city, which began at 3 o'clock in the morning of March 6 (Tenmei 8, 29th day of the 1st month), continued to burn uncontrolled until March 8 (Tenmei 8, 1st day of the 2nd month); and embers smoldered until they were extinguished by heavy rain on March 11 (Tenmei 8, 4th day of the 2nd month). The emperor and his court fled the fire, and the Imperial Palace was destroyed. No other re-construction was permitted until a new palace was completed. This fire was considered a major event. The Dutch VOCDutch East India CompanyThe Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
opperhoofdOpperhoofdOpperhoofd is a Dutch word which literally means 'supreme head'.The Danish equivalent Overhoved, which is derived from a Danish pronunciation of the Dutch word, is also treated here....
in DejimaDejimawas a small fan-shaped artificial island built in the bay of Nagasaki in 1634. This island, which was formed by digging a canal through a small peninsula, remained as the single place of direct trade and exchange between Japan and the outside world during the Edo period. Dejima was built to...
noted in his official record book that "people are considering it to be a great and extraordinary heavenly portent."
External links
- National Diet LibraryNational Diet LibraryThe is the only national library in Japan. It was established in 1948 for the purpose of assisting members of the in researching matters of public policy. The library is similar in purpose and scope to the U.S...
, "The Japanese Calendar" -- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection - National Archives of Japan: Hinozenshu sanbutsu zuko, scroll showing illustrated inventory of industries in Karatsu Domain, Tenmei 4 (1784)
- Toyohara ChikanobuToyohara Chikanobu, better known to his contemporaries as , was a prolific woodblock artist of Japan's Meiji period.-Names:Chikanobu signed his artwork . This was his...
, Mirror of the Ages (Jidai Kagami): Tenmei no koro.
| Tenmei | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th |
| 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... | 1781 | 1782 | 1783 | 1784 | 1785 | 1786 | 1787 | 1788 | 1789 |
Preceded by: An'ei | Era or nengō 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... : Tenmei | Succeeded by: Kansei Kansei was a after Tenmei and before Kyōwa. This period spanned the years from January 1789 through February 1801. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:... |