Japanese imperial year

The Japanese imperial year (皇紀 kōki) or "national calendar year" is a unique calendar system in Japan.[1] It is based on the legendary foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu in 660 BC.[2] Kōki emphasizes the long history of Japan and the Imperial dynasty.[3]

History

Kōki dating was used as early as 1872, shortly after Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar system.[4]

The Summer Olympics and Tokyo Expo were planned as anniversary events in 1940 (Kōki 2600);[5] but the international games were not held because of the Second Sino-Japanese War.[6]

The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) and Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) used the Kōki system for identification.[7] For example,

The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence used the imperial year.

In Japan today, the system of counting years from the reign of Emperor Jimmu has been officially abandoned.[8]

Related pages

References

External links

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