- Tenpyō-shōhō
. [Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). "Annales des empereurs du Japon," pp. 73-75; Varley, Paul. (1980). "Jinnō Shōtōki," pp. 143-144.]
Change of era
*;
749 : The new era name of Tenpyō-shōhō (meaning "Heavenly Peace and Victorious Treasure") [Bowman, John. (2000). [http://books.google.com/books?id=pg5Qi28akwEC&printsec=titlepage&dq=bowman,+john+stewart&lr=&source=gbs_toc_s&cad=1#PPA127,M1 "Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture," p. 127.] ] was created to mark the accession of Empress Kōken. Shortly after "Tenpyō-kanpō" was initially proclaimed, Shōmu renounced the throne, thus becoming the first emperor to take the tonsure as a Buddhist monk. [Varley, p. 143.] Shōmu's reign and the "Tenpyō-kanpō" era ended simultaneously as he began a new phase of his life. The previous era ended after a mere four months, and the new one commenced in Tenpyō-kanpō 1, on the 2nd day of the 7th month of 749.Brown, p. 274.]Events of the "Tenpyō-shōhō" era
* "Tenpyō-shōhō 1" (
749 ): Emperor Shōmu abdicates, and his daughter receives the succession (‘‘senso’’). Shortly thereafter, Empress Kōken formally accedes to the throne (‘‘sokui’’). [Varley, p. 44. [A distinct act of "senso" is unrecognized prior to Emperor Tenji; and all sovereigns except Jitō, Yōzei, Go-Toba, and Fushimi have "senso" and "sokui" in the same year until the reign of Go-Murakami.] ]
* "Tenpyō-shōhō 1" (749 ): Empress Kōken is enthroned, on the 2nd day of the 7th month of Tenpyō-kanpō gannen, and that very brief era is superseded by a new one. [see above] ]
* "Tenpyō-shōhō 4", in the 4th month752 : The Eye-opening Ceremony celebrating the completion of the Great Buddha is held atTōdai-ji in Nara. [Titsingh, p. 74.]
* "Tenpyō-shōhō 2", on the 1st day of the 8th month (758 ): In the 10th year of Kōken"-tennō"'s reign (称徳天皇10年), the empress abdicated; and succession (‘‘senso’’) was received by her adopted son. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Jimmu is said to have acceded to the throne (‘‘sokui’’). [Titsingh, p. 75; Brown, p. 275; Varley, p. 44, 144. [A distinct act of "senso" is unrecognized prior to Emperor Tenji; and all sovereigns except Jitō, Yōzei, Go-Toba, and Fushimi have "senso" and "sokui" in the same year until the reign of Go-Murakami.] ]References
* Bowman, John Stewart. (2000). "Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture." New York:
Columbia University Press . ISBN 0-2311-1004-9
* Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979). [Jien , 1221] , "Gukanshō (The Future and the Past, a translation and study of the Gukanshō, an interpretative history of Japan written in 1219)." Berkeley:University of California Press . ISBN 0-520-03460-0
* Titsingh, Isaac, ed. (1834). [Siyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō , 1652] , "Nipon o daï itsi ran ; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon, tr. par M. Isaac Titsingh avec l'aide de plusieurs interprètes attachés au comptoir hollandais de Nangasaki; ouvrage re., complété et cor. sur l'original japonais-chinois, accompagné de notes et précédé d'un Aperçu d'histoire mythologique du Japon, par M. J. Klaproth." Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. [http://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&dq=nipon+o+dai+itsi+ran ... Click link for digitized, full-text copy of this book (in French)]
* Varley, H. Paul , ed. (1980). [Kitabatake Chikafusa , 1359] , "Jinnō Shōtōki ("A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chikafusa" translated by H. Paul Varley)." New York:Columbia University Press . ISBN 0-231-04940-4External links
* National Diet Library, "The Japanese Calendar" [http://www.ndl.go.jp/koyomi/e/ -- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection]
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