Shaku

Shaku

Unit of length
m=#expr:10/33
accuracy=3

The "shaku" (尺) is an archaic Japanese unit of length, approximately equal to the foot. As with other measurements, it was originally derived from nature: the average length between nodes on bamboo. Since 1891, the "shaku" has been defined to equal 10/33 meters (approximately 30.3 cm, or 11.93 inches), or 3.3 "shaku" to the meter. A single "shaku" is divided into 10 "sun" (寸).

Another unit of length also called the "shaku" was used only for measuring cloth. This "shaku" measured 125/330 meters (approximately 37.9 cm, or 14.9 inches). When a distinction needed to be made between the two "shaku", the cloth unit was referred to as "kujirajaku" (whale "shaku", as the rulers for measuring cloth were made from whale whisker) and the other "shaku" was referred to as "kanejaku" (metal "shaku").

While Japanese law required official use of these units be discontinued on March 31, 1966, the "shaku" is still used in some fields in Japan, such as traditional carpentry. The "ken" and "jō" are larger than a "shaku": six "shaku" make up one "ken"; ten "shaku" make up one "jō". The "ken" is commonly the distance between pillars in traditional buildings such as Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines.

The Shosoin in Nara has an ancient ivory one-"shaku" ruler.

The shakuhachi is a Japanese musical instrument nominally measuring 1 "shaku" and eight ("hachi") "sun" in length.

External links

* [http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/internat.htm#japan Japanese Metric Changeover] by Joseph B. Reid, President Emeritus, Canadian Metric Association (U.S. Metric Association page)
* [http://www.sizes.com/units/shaku.htm Details of the two shaku units] at [http://www.sizes.com sizes.com]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Shaku-dô — Shaku dô, Legierung aus Kupfer und 1 bis 10% Gold …   Lexikon der gesamten Technik

  • Shaku — Shaku, japan. Längenmaß = 0,303 m …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Shaku — El shaku (尺, shaku?) es una unidad de longitud utilizada en el antiguo Japón imperial. Un shaku es la sexta parte de un ken, de longitud aproximada al pie, y equivale a 10/33 m, o 30,3 cm de longitud. Un shaku se divide en diez …   Wikipedia Español

  • Shaku — Shakkanhō (jap. 尺貫法) ist ein altes japanisches Maßsystem für Längen, Volumen, Flächen, Gewichte und Geld. Es basiert auf dem chinesischen Maßsystem, das in ganz Ostasien Verbreitung fand. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Zusammenhang mit Metermaß 2 Länge 3… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Shaku — El shaku (尺) es una unidad de longitud utilizada en el antiguo Japón imperial. Un shaku es la sexta parte de un ken y equivale a 10/33 m, o 30,3 cm de longitud. Un shaku se divide en diez sun. El shaku es utilizado aún hoy en algunas profesiones… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • shaku —    a Japanese word meaning measure or scale , also used for several traditional units in Japan:1 As a unit of distance, the shaku is the Japanese foot, equal to about 30.30 centimeters or 11.93 inches;2 As a unit of area, the shaku equals 330.6… …   Dictionary of units of measurement

  • Shaku — Le shaku est une ancienne unité de mesure de longueur japonaise, approximativement égale à un pied soit 30 cm environ. Pour plus de détail voir Unité de mesure japonaise. Portail du Japon Catégories  …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Shaku —    The flat piece of wood carried upright like a sceptre as part of the formal costume of Shinto priests during rituals. It is held in much the same way as a formal fan (see Hiogi), is derived from Chinese influenced Heian court costume (ocho… …   A Popular Dictionary of Shinto

  • shaku — ˈshä(ˌ)kü noun (plural shaku) Etymology: Japanese : a Japanese unit of length equal to 11.93 inches …   Useful english dictionary

  • Shaku Nihongi — (釈日本紀, Shaku Nihongi?) es un texto anotado del Nihon Shoki. Recopilado por Urabe Kanekata entre 1274 y 1301, es una obra de 28 volúmenes.[1] …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”