Kaei
Encyclopedia
was a after Kōka
and before Ansei
. This period spanned the years from February 1848 through November 1854. The reigning emperor was .
The era name is derived from an aphorism in The Book of the Song Dynasty: "A wise Emperor receives much help, One who esteems comfort is on the outside" (思皇享多祐、嘉楽永無央).
Koka
was a after Tenpō and before Kaei. This period spanned the years from December 1844 through February 1848. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:...
and before Ansei
Ansei
was a after Kaei and before Man'en. This period spanned the years from November 1854 through March 1860. The reigning emperor was .- Change of era :...
. This period spanned the years from February 1848 through November 1854. The reigning emperor was .
Change of era
- February 28, 1848 : The era name of Kaei (meaning "eternal felicity") was created to mark the beginning of the reign of the Emperor KōmeiEmperor Komeiwas the 121st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Kōmei's reign spanned the years from 1846 through 1867.-Genealogy:Before Kōmei's accession to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was ;, his title was ....
.
The era name is derived from an aphorism in The Book of the Song Dynasty: "A wise Emperor receives much help, One who esteems comfort is on the outside" (思皇享多祐、嘉楽永無央).
Events of the Kaei Era
- July 1848 (Kaei 1): Ranald MacDonald, [b. 1824, Astoria, Oregon] left the whaler Plymouth in a small boat and landed on Rishiri Island. He was arrested and sent from Rishiri to Nagasaki where he was incarcerated; MacDonald began teaching English to 14 scholars, including Einosuke Moriyama, who later became an interpreter for the Japanese government when Com. Perry entered Japan in 1854 [thus, in Japan, MacDonald is regarded as "The first native-speaking English teacher in Japanese history].
- 1849 (Kaei 2): Medical practice of vaccination introduced by Dutch physician, Dr. Mohnike, at 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...
. - July 1853 (Kaei 6): Commodore Matthew PerryMatthew Perry (naval officer)Matthew Calbraith Perry was the Commodore of the U.S. Navy and served commanding a number of US naval ships. He served several wars, most notably in the Mexican-American War and the War of 1812. He played a leading role in the opening of Japan to the West with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854...
, commanding the United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
's East Indies fleet, arrives in Japanese waters with four ships. - 1854 (Kaei 7): Commodore Perry returns to Edo Bay to force Japanese agreement to the Treaty of Kanagawa; and the chief Japanese negotiator was Daigaku-no kami Hayashi AkiraHayashi Akirawas a Edo period scholar-diplomat serving the Tokugawa Shogunate in a variety of roles similar to those performed by serial Hayashi clan neo-Confucianists since the time of Tokugawa Ieyasu...
(1800–1859), who was head of the Tokugawa bakufu's neo-ConfucianNeo-ConfucianismNeo-Confucianism is an ethical and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, that was primarily developed during the Song Dynasty and Ming Dynasty, but which can be traced back to Han Yu and Li Ao in the Tang Dynasty....
academy in EdoEdo, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
, the Shōhei-kō (Yushima SeidōYushima Seido, located in the Yushima neighbourhood of Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan, was constructed as a Confucian temple in the Genroku era of the Edo period .-Tokugawa bureaucrat training center:...
).
- "Immediately, on signing and exchanging copies of the treaty, Commodore Perry presented the first commissioner, Prince Hayashi, with an American flag stating that this gift was the highest expression of national courtesy and friendship he could offer. The prince was deeply moved, and expressed his gratitude with evident feeling. The commodore next presented the other commissioners with gifts he had especially reserved for them. All business now having been concluded to the satisfaction of both delegations, the Japanese commissioners invited Perry and his officers to enjoy a feast and entertainment especially prepared for the celebration." -- from American eyewitness account of the event
- May 2, 1854 (Kaei 7, the 6th day of the 4th month): Fire broke out in the Sentō, and the conflagration spread to the Imperial palace. Both were destroyed. The emperor took refuge at Shimokam and afterwards went to Shōgon-in.
- November 4–7, 1854 (Kaei 7): Great NankaidōNankaidoThe , literally meaning "southern sea road," is a Japanese term denoting both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. The road connected provincial capitals in this region...
earthquakes and tsunamiTsunamiA tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
s kill 80,000 people. An earthquake and tsunami struck ShimodaShimodaShimoda can mean:* Places in Japan:** Shimoda, Shizuoka, a city in Shizuoka Prefecture** Shimoda, Aomori, a town in Aomori Prefecture* Treaty of Shimoda , between Japan and Russia* Shimoda Toyomatsu, an early Japanese Scouting notable...
on the Ize peninsula; and because the port had just been designated as the prospective location for a U.S. consulate, some construed the natural disasters as demonstration of the displeasure of the kami. - 1854 (Kaei 7, 27th day of the 11th month): The era name was changed to Ansei (meaning "tranquil government"), which was meant to herald the beginning of a peaceful period. The impetus and explanation for this change of era names was said to have been the burning of the Palace in Kyoto in the preceding summer.
External links
- National Diet Library, "The Japanese Calendar" -- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection
- National Archives of Japan ...Click link for map of Edo reproduced in the 6th year of Kaei (1853)
| Kaei | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th |
| 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... |
1848 | 1849 | 1850 | 1851 | 1852 | 1853 | 1854 |
Preceded by: Kōka Koka was a after Tenpō and before Kaei. This period spanned the years from December 1844 through February 1848. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:... |
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... : Kaei |
Succeeded by: Ansei Ansei was a after Kaei and before Man'en. This period spanned the years from November 1854 through March 1860. The reigning emperor was .- Change of era :... |