IN modern Japan The modern Gregorian calendar is used, the same as in the rest of the world, including Russia, but excluding Muslim countries.

However, in earlier times other calendar systems were official and are still often used for ceremonial, astrological and cultural purposes.

In particular, in Japan they use: the Chinese sexagenary calendar, counting years by emperors and counting years from the founding of Japan. Let's tell you more about each...

Chinese calendar

As you know, in the traditional Chinese calendar, years are counted according to 12 zodiac animals or “12 heavenly branches” ( Junishi). However, in parallel, the count also goes on “10 earthly shoots” ( jikkan) - senior and junior symbols of natural elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Gold, Water). Here's a table depicting how this happens:

The two cycles seem to rotate opposite each other. It is easy to calculate that each combination of junishi and jikkan is repeated once every sixty years. Therefore, the sixtieth anniversary ( kanreki) is given special importance in Japan.

The last cycle of "junishi-jikkan" began in 1984. Accordingly, 2000 is the year of “Ka-no-E-Tatsu”.

The year in the Chinese calendar usually begins on February 4, as spring begins to arrive in China and Japan at this time.

Counting years according to the reigns of emperors

This is also a Chinese invention adopted by the Japanese. Each emperor, upon ascending the throne, affirms the motto ( nengo), under which his reign will take place. In ancient times, the emperor sometimes changed his motto if the beginning of his reign was unsuccessful, or if he wanted to mark some important event in his life.

During the Meiji Restoration, the practice of changing the motto during the reign was prohibited. Now each reign of the emperor corresponds to exactly one motto.

The beginning of the motto of the reign is considered the first year of a new historical period. All nengos are unique, so they can be used as a universal chronology scale.

Period Heisei("Peace and Tranquility"), like the reign of the emperor Akihito, started in 1989. Accordingly, 2000 is the 12th year of the Heisei period.

Counting the years since the founding of Japan

During the Meiji Restoration, a unified system of Japanese chronology was introduced, originating in 660 BC - this is the legendary date of the founding of the Japanese state by the emperor Jimmu. Generally speaking, this system has existed since ancient times, but with the introduction of the system of mottos of government it was forgotten.

This system was only truly used until the end of World War II. Now the memory of it is preserved only in the naming system of Japanese aircraft of those years. The last two digits of the numerical designation of the aircraft model corresponded to the last two digits of the date of acceptance of this modification into service.

So, the legendary carrier-based fighter "Mitsubishi A6M2 Model 21 "Reisen" ("Zero" or "Ziki" in the American classification) was marked "Type 0", since it was commissioned in 2600 from the founding of Japan, or, accordingly, in 1940.

Today we will learn how to name the numbers of the month and dates in Japanese.

European chronology in Japan

Currently chronology in Japan has two types: European and Japanese. The first thing to remember when writing a date in Japanese, but according to the European chronology, is that it is written in reverse order, that is, first the year, then the month and finally the date. You can also add the day of the week at the end.

Let’s take a date as an example (by the way, the word “date” itself will sound like hizuke – 日付) December 20, 2015 of the year. In Japanese, "year" is nen年, "month" gatsu/getsu月, and "day" hi日. So, taking into account the peculiarity of writing the order of numbers in a date, December 20, 2015 will be written as 2015年12月20日. And if we add the day of the week (in this case, this is Sunday - nichiyobi日曜日), you get 2015年12月20日日曜日( nisen jūgo nen jūnigatsu hatsuka nichiyōbi). Despite the fact that Arabic numerals are actively used in Japan, you can just as easily come across . If we replace the Arabic numerals indicating the month and day in our date with Japanese kanji, it will turn into 2015年十二月二十日日曜日. The year is very rarely written using hieroglyphs.

Names of months and numbers in Japanese

Remembering the names of the months in Japanese is quite simple: just know the numerals from 1 to 12 and add the hieroglyph 月 gatsu (month) to them:

January-一月-１月- ichi-gatsu
February-二月-2月-ni-gatsu
March- 三月 - ３月 - san-gatsu
April- 四月 - ４月 - shi-gatsu
May- 五月 - ５月 - go-gatsu
June- 六月 - ６月 - roku-gatsu
July- 七月 - ７月 - shichi-gatsu
August- 八月 - ８月 - hachi-gatsu
September- 九月 - ９月 - ku-gatsu
October- 十月 - １０月 - juu-gatsu
November- 十一月 - １１月 - juu-ichi-gatsu
December- 十二月 - １２月 - juu-ni-gatsu

The most difficult part is to learn the atypical Japanese readings of numbers from 1 to 10, and then simply add the word nichi (日) to the numeral. But even here we need to pay attention to three exceptions, which include the 14th, 20th and 24th:

１日 - 一日 - tsuitachi - first (1st)
２日 - 二日 - fust(u)ka - second (2nd)
３日 - 三日 - mikka - third (3rd)
４日 - 四日 - yokka - fourth (4th)
５日 - 五日 - its(u)ka - fifth (5th)
６日 - 六日 - muika - ssixth (6th)
７日 - 七日 - nanoka - seventh (7th)
８日 - 八日 - youka (yooka) - eighth (8th)
９日 -九日 - kokonoka - ninth (9th)
１０日 - 十日 - tooka - tenth (10th)
１１日 - 十一日 - jyuu ichi nichi - eleventh (11th)
１２日 - 十二日 - jyuu ni nichi - twelfth (12th)
１３日 - 十三日 - jyuu san nichi - thirteenth (14th)
１４日 -十四日 - jyuu yokka - fourteenth (14th)
１５日 - 十五日 - jyuu go nichi - fifteenth (15th)
１６日 十六日 - jyuu roku nichi - sixteenth (16th)
１７日 - 十七日 - jyuu sh(i)chi nichi \ jyuu nana nichi - seventeenth (17th)
１８日 - 十八日 - jyuu hachi nichi - eighteenth (18th)
１９日 十九日 - jyuu ku nichi - nineteenth (19th)
２０日 - 二十日 - hats(u)ka - twentieth (20th)
２１日 - 二十一日 - ni jyuu ichi nichi - twenty-first (21st)
２２日 - 二十二日 - ni jyuu ni nichi - twenty-second (22nd)
２３日 - 二十三日 - ni jyuu san nichi - twenty-third (23rd)
２４日- 二十四日 - ni jyuu yokka - twenty-fourth = 24th
２５日 - 二十五日 - ni jyuu go nichi - twenty-fifth (25th)
２６日 - 二十六日 - ni jyuu roku nichi - twenty-sixth (26th)
２７日 - 二十七日 - ni jyuu shichi nichi \ni jyuu nana nichi -
twenty-seventh (27th)
２８日 - 二十八日 - ni jyuu hachi nichi - ttwenty-eighth (28th)
２９日 - 二十九日 - ni jyuu ku nichi - twenty-ninth (29th)
３０日 - 三十日 - san jyuu nichi - thirtieth (30th)
３１日 - 三十一日 - san jyuu ichi nichi - thirty-first (31st)

Also, the last day of the month can be called 晦日 misoka(literally “day of the end”), and December 31 大晦日 ōmisoka(“day of the great end”).

If you do not yet know how to read Japanese, but would like to learn, then we advise you to master the Japanese alphabet - hiragana and katakana. It is, of course, better to start with hiragana. Use ours to learn hiragana more effectively.

Japanese chronology

The Japanese chronology is a little more complicated than the European one. The fact is that the Japanese each time begin a new countdown from the accession to the throne of a new one. The current Emperor Akihito began his reign in 1989, that is, the current era, which is called Heisei, began in this year, and the first year of his reign is called 元年 - gan nen(the name of the first year of each era), and 1989 is called 平成元年- Heisei Gannen.

The current year 2015 is the 27th according to Japanese chronology, so December 20, 2015, which was taken as an example above, will be written as follows: 平成27年12月20日 (Heisei nijūnana nen jūnigatsu hatsuka) or 平成27年十二月二十 日 Below are the eras that belong to the 20th century:

Meiji jidai- the reign of Emperor Meiji (1868-1912)
大正時代 Taishō jidai- the reign of Emperor Taisho (1912-1926)
Shōwa jidai– the reign of Emperor Showa (1926-1989)
Heisei– the reign of Emperor Akihito (1989-present)

If you take a Japanese coin in your hand, you will see that the issue date on it is written using the Japanese chronology. It is also often found in Japanese newspapers and official documents.

Try to learn a short dialogue related to dates (you can choose any date):

A：きょうは何月何日ですか。 What is today's date?
Kyō wa nani tsuki nan nichi desu ka
B：5月21日です。 Today is May 21st.
Go-gatsu ni jyuu ichi nichi desu

Finally, do small task for writing dates.

In the comments, write the dates listed below and your birthday (or any other date important to you) in two ways, using the European and Japanese chronology:

February 25, Showa 5
July 5, Year 1 of the Taisho era
April 8, 22 Meiji
September 30, 8 of the Heisei era

Eastern animal cycle calendar, marks years in 12-year cycles. The name of each year corresponds to a specific animal, of which there are twelve.

Characteristics of animals according to the eastern calendar of the animal cycle

Year of the Monkey

These people are unreliable, contradictory, clever, inventive, original. They achieve success in any activity. They are easy to convince and distract. Any obstacle spoils their mood, because... they want everything this very minute.

They are temperamental, quick-tempered, but easy-going. Tricky. are distinguished by conceit and self-will. They achieve fame, unless the Tiger people interfere with them.

Compatible with the Dragon and Rat. People of the Snake, Boar, and Tiger signs are not suitable.

Year of the Rooster (Chicken)

Deep thinkers. Gifted people. They love work and are dedicated to their work. They are somewhat eccentric and do not immediately get along with people.

Always confident in their rightness and usually right. Often very lonely and withdrawn. Timid. What is planned is always realized. They have ups and downs of feelings. Streaks of failure alternate with streaks of success. They can be selfish and overly straightforward. Always interesting and capable of bold actions.

People of the Snake, Dragon, and Ox are suitable for friendship. People of the Tiger, Horse, Monkey, Sheep and Boar are not suitable at all.

Year of the Boar (Pig)

Brave, capable of self-sacrifice. They put every effort into everything they do. They recognize only the direct path. Honest, courageous people. It's difficult to get along with people. Friends, of whom there are few, are faithful until the end of life. They won't leave friends in trouble. taciturn. Curious. They are quick-tempered, but do not like quarrels. They are generous and attentive to those they love.

They don’t shy away from problems. They sometimes act under the influence of a momentary impulse. Rabbit and Sheep are suitable for boar. Not compatible with the Snake.

Year of the Dog

Faithful. Honest. Fair. They inspire confidence because... know how to keep secrets.

Somewhat selfish, very stubborn and eccentric. They don’t strive for wealth, but they always have money. Emotional. Cold towards strangers. They are critical and have a sharp tongue. They stand for justice, they know what they are fighting for.

The matter is brought to an end. Victory usually goes to them. They come out good leaders, revolutionaries.

Suitable for love, friendship, life partners: Horse, Tiger, Rabbit.

Incompatible - Dragon, Sheep.

Year of the Tiger

Sensitive. Energetic. Prone to thinking. They can be irritable. They are generally respected, but often come into conflict with elders and superiors. The decision is appreciated, but often it is too late. Suspicious and selfish. Strong, courageous people. Usually leaders, revolutionaries.

People are suitable for them - Horses, Dragons, Dogs. Incompatible - Snake, Monkey.

Year of the Ox (Ox)

They inspire confidence. They can be eccentric, impatient and lose their temper easily. Fury knows no bounds. In such cases they should be feared. Not very talkative. But they are also eloquent. They usually have good physical and mental abilities. They are known as people with a light character. Sometimes they are stubborn. They don't like contradictions. Love is looked at as a sport. The main thing for them is their homeland, work, family.

Well compatible with Snake, Rooster, Rat.

Incompatible with Sheep.

Year of the Cat (Hare)

Individual. Talented, ambitious. They are always lucky.

Virtuous, reserved. They have good taste. They inspire trust and admiration. Financially lucky. They love to gossip, but are tactful and kind. They are affectionate with those they love, but rarely attached to their immediate family. They almost never lose their temper. They have excellent business qualities. Conscientious. Not always tactful, prone to melancholy. Conservative. Prudent.

Suitable for them: Sheep, Boar, Dog.

Incompatible with the Rooster.

Year of the Rat (Mouse)

Externally attractive. They are purposeful, hardworking, and strive to acquire property. Accurate to the point of pedantry. Thrifty. Be generous with those you love. They get angry easily, but maintain external composure. Petty, ambitious. Mostly they succeed and achieve their goals. They are usually honest and open, but many of them are not averse to gossiping.

Correspond to: Dragon, Monkey, Ox.

The Horse is not suitable at all.

Year of the Sheep (Goat)

They have abilities in the field of fine arts. Often shy, prone to pessimism. Helpless in the face of life.

Capricious. They value convenience. They have good taste. They love their job. Reasonable and virtuous.

Mostly financially secure.

For friendship, love, marriage, Horse and Boar people are suitable for them, but Dog and Ox people are not suitable for them at all.

Year of the Dragon

They have excellent health. easily excitable. Sometimes harsh and stubborn. Honest. Emotional. Decisive. You can always rely on them.

Willful. Tend to be kind-hearted. They quickly get rid of their misconceptions. They get married, get married early or don’t get married at all, don’t get married.

Compatible with them: Rat, Snake, Monkey, Rooster.

Incompatible Dog.

Year of the Snake

Taciturn. They are wise from birth. Their financial affairs are always excellent.

They are often vain and selfish. Rely more on themselves. Decisive and purposeful. They feel their failures deeply. Outwardly they are calm, but their nature is passionate. Outwardly, such people are attractive, which often leads to family complications.

They correspond to the people of the Ox and the Rooster.

Tiger and Pig people are not suitable.

Year of the Horse

These people are very popular. Possess good character. They know how to handle money. Skillful and insightful. Sometimes they talk a lot. Talented. Everything is going well for them. Self-confident. Are partial to opposite sex. For themselves personally, they invest maximum strength and passion, with the exception of official duties. They love entertainment, gatherings, and being in the center of events. Independent. Rarely listen to the advice of others.

Tiger, Dog, Sheep are good choices.

The Rat doesn't fit at all.

_______________

A source of information: Faces of fate: horoscopes, fortune telling, dream book./ -Kiev: 1993.

chronology
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Japanese chronology (Japanese 元号 gengoo or Japanese 年号 nengoo, translated means era, epoch) is the traditional calendar used in Japan.

Instead of counting years from the birth of Christ, as is customary in Christian countries, in Japan years are calculated from the year the emperor's reign began. Each emperor, upon ascending the throne, approves the motto (nengo) under which his reign will take place. In ancient times, the emperor sometimes changed the motto if the beginning of his reign was unsuccessful, or if he wanted to mark some important event in his life. During the Meiji Restoration, changing the motto during the reign was prohibited.

The beginning of the motto of the reign is considered the first year of a new historical period. All nengos are unique, so they can be used as a universal chronology scale.

The Heisei period ("Peace and Tranquility"), like the reign of Emperor Akihito, began in 1989. Accordingly, 2005 was the 17th Heisei year, and 2006 was the 18th Heisei year.

A similar method of chronology came from China, but is still widely used in Japan. Indication of dates according to Japanese chronology is required on financial, banking documents and official papers.

In China, a similar system has been used since 140 BC. e., in Japan this system has been used since 645 AD. e.

[edit] Table of Japanese eras
Year Era Reading Translation Emperor Beginning of reign Length of period
… … … … … … …
Edo period (1603-1867)
1615 元和 Genna Beginning of the Kotohito Concord of 1611
1624 正保 Kan'ei Defense of Justice Okiko, Tsuguhito December 22, 1629, November 14, 1643
1644 万治 Shoho Ten thousandth reign of Tsuguhito November 14, 1643
1648 慶安 Keian Peaceful Joy of Tsuguhito November 14, 1643
1652 承応 Jō Receiving Nagahito's answers January 5, 1655
1655 明暦 Meireki Light calendar Nagahito January 5, 1655
1658 万治 Manji Ten thousandth reign of Nagahito January 5, 1655
1661 寛文 Kambun The Generous Art of Satohito March 5, 1663
1673 延宝 Empo Satohito's lasting wealth March 5, 1663
1681 天和 Tenna Heavenly Imperial Peace of Satohito March 5, 1663
1684 貞享 Jōkyō Asahito May 6, 1687
1688 元禄 Genroku Asahito's Original Joy May 6, 1687
1704 宝永 Hoei Prosperous Eternity Yoshihito July 27, 1709
1704 正徳 Shotoku The Just Dignity of Yoshihito July 27, 1709
1716 享保 Kyoho Receipt, Possession (Holding) of Teruhito April 13, 1735
1736 元文Gembun Initial courtesy of Teruhito April 13, 1735
1741 寛保 Kampo Preservation of the indulgent and generous Teruhito April 13, 1735
1744 延享 Enkyo Establishment of Tohito duration June 9, 1747
1748 寛延 Kan'en Extension of Tohito's gentleness June 9, 1747
1751 宝暦 Horeki Valuable Calendar (Valuable Almanac) Toshiko
1764 明和 Meiwa Bright Harmony Hidehito May 23, 1771
1772 安永 An'ei Peaceful Eternity Tomohito December 16, 1779
1781 天明 Tenmei Dawn of Tomohito December 16, 1779
1789 寛政 Kansei Tolerant (liberal) government of Tomohito December 16, 1779
1801 享和 Kyōwa Receiving Tomohito's harmony December 16, 1779
1804 文化 Bunka Culture (Civilization) Ayahito October 31, 1817
1818 文政 Bunsei Reign of Art Ayahito October 31, 1817
1830 天保 Tempo Heavenly Imperial Protection of Ayahito October 31, 1817
1844 弘化 Koka Becoming broad (extensive) Osahito March 10, 1846
1848 嘉永 Kaei Osahito Eternity Celebration March 10, 1846
1854 安政 Ansei Quiet peaceful (calm) government of Osahito March 10, 1846
1860 万延 Man'en Lasting ten thousand Osahito March 10, 1846
1861 文久 Bunkyu Competent history of Osahito March 10, 1846
1864 元治 Genji Initial reign of Osahito March 10, 1846
1865 慶応 Keio Joyful consent of Osahito March 10, 1846
Modern Japan
1868 明治 Meiji Enlightened reign of Mutsuhito February 3, 1867 45
1912 大正 Taisho Great Justice Yoshihito July 30, 1912 15
1926 昭和 Showa Enlightened World Hirohito December 25, 1926 64
1989 平成 Heisei Peace Establishment Akihito January 7, 1989 Until now

[edit]From the founding of Japan
A very ancient calendar system, with a starting point of 660 BC. e., when, according to legend, the Japanese state was founded by Emperor Jimmu. It was supplanted by the counting of years according to the reigns of the emperors. During the Meiji Restoration, the ancient counting of years was restored, but it only lasted until the end of World War II.

It is noteworthy that this counting of years was reflected in the markings of pre-war aircraft: the last two digits of the aircraft’s numerical designation corresponded to the last two digits of the date of acceptance of this modification into service. Thus, the legendary carrier-based fighter “Mitsubishi A6M Zero” (“Naval carrier-based fighter Type 00 Model 11” (Rei Shiki Kanjo Sentoki, Japanese 零式艦上戦闘機) was commissioned in 2600 from the founding of Japan, or, accordingly, in 1940

[edit] See also

In Japan everything is different. They dress differently, eat and sit differently, count days and years differently. It can be difficult for Westerners to understand what year it is in Japan. Since ancient times, the Japanese have taken the Chinese lunar-solar calendar as a basis, but this nation, with its special mentality, has made special changes to it. Now it is used mainly for ceremonies, astrology or some cultural purposes. We will try to understand the calendar in Japan in detail. We will also clarify what year it is now.

Calculation of years - methods

The Japanese call their island state "Nippon", which means the birthplace of the sun, the Chinese translated this name as the Land of the Rising Sun, the Russians distorted it to the word "Japan". These islands had three ways of calculating years, two of which are still in use today. But we will mention all three.

The oldest, which is not used now, went back to the legendary foundation of Japan more than five hundred years BC. e.

The Japanese copied another system from the Chinese. The Celestial Empire at that time was the most developed of all Asian countries. The year when a new emperor began to rule, after the death of the previous one, began a new countdown. It’s easy to find out what year it is in Japan. 28th 年 (the character for the word "year") reign

In 1873, the country adopted the Gregorian calendar. It gradually took root and is used on a par with the traditional one. 2017年 is what year it is now in Japan. The year is written first, then the month, and the last is the date. All this is written in our traditional numbers. May 13, 2017 will look like this: 2017-5-13.

Emperor's reign

We keep our count of days from the Nativity of Christ without changing anything. In Japan, a different practice has developed. When a new emperor ascends the throne (he does not actually rule), he chooses a motto for himself - nengo, under which the time of his power will pass.
This motto, composed of two prosperous hieroglyphs, is required so that the entire period of reign passes smoothly, without cataclysms. A special state commission, which studies ancient Chinese scrolls with classical literature for its selection, was created and is being created in Japan. What is the year now? This period is called the Heisei era, which means “Peace and Tranquility.” It began in 1989, when the divine chosen one Akihito came to power.

Cyclic calendar

The West is already quite familiar with it, but celebrates the onset of the Eastern New Year on its own dates, which do not coincide with the original source. According to this sixty-year cycle, each year is ruled by an animal and a special element.

There are five of these elements ruled by Saturn: wood, fire, metal, water and earth. They have their own colors: blue, red, yellow, white, black. In addition, the path of Jupiter is divided into twelve segments, each of which corresponds to an animal. They go in the order in which they came to the Buddha: rat, horse, bull, sheep, tiger, monkey, hare (rabbit), rooster, dragon, dog, snake, pig. We've already celebrated New Year and we know what year it is in Japan - the Rooster, of course. His symbol appeared on many European trinkets, dishes and clothing.

Calculation in Japan

What is the year now? The chronology in Japan forces Europeans to look into the astrological signs of the coming year. We strive to please the new creature that comes, to cook for him as well. delicious dishes so that he would protect us for a whole year. Of course, this is just a ritual that adds spice New Year's holiday and is forgotten in Western countries the very next morning. But in Asian countries, the New Year, which falls between the twentieth of January and February, is celebrated on a grand scale. Fireworks and all rituals are required. For example, the Japanese visit Shinto shrines, buy a toy Daruma deity, make a wish and paint one of his eyes. When the year ends, if the wish has come true, then Daruma’s second eye is painted over, and if not, then it is not touched. In any case, the wooden doll is sent back to the temple where it was bought and burned in special bonfires.

Sakura time

From the north, from the Sea of ​​Okhotsk to the south, where Japan is washed by the Pacific Ocean, there is an archipelago with almost seven thousand islands. Its length is three and a half thousand km. Therefore, asking about the weather is considered good manners for any Japanese.

The Japanese are really looking forward to the beginning of warm winds, when winter will be replaced by spring blooming with cherry blossoms.

She only appears on different islands different time. In the south, sakura can herald spring as early as February, but in the north and Aomori only in May. So if they ask: “What time of year is it now in Japan?”, then you need to navigate not by the calendar, but by the geographical location of a particular island. It’s like in our country - on the Black Sea coast spring is already about to turn into summer, and in the Moscow region in May piercingly evil northern winds blow, cold rain falls, and there are frosts at night. And according to the calendar, it’s spring, which residents of the Moscow region cannot wait for.

We hope that it is now clear to everyone how the current year is calculated in Japan.