Meiō

Meiō (明応), also known as Mei-ō, was a Japanese era name (年号, nengō, "year name") after Entoku and before Bunki. This period spanned the years from July 1492 through February 1501.[1] Reigning emperors were Go-Tsuchimikado-tennō (後土御門天皇) and Go-Kashiwabara-tennō (後柏原天皇).[2]

Change of era

• 1492 Meiō gannen (明応元年): The era name was changed to mark an event or a number of events. The old era ended and a new one commenced in Entoku 4.

Events of the Meiō era

• 1492 (Meiō 1, 8th month): Shōgun Yoshimura[3] led an army against Takayori in Ōmi Province. He laid siege to Mii-dera. Takayori saved himself by escaping in the slopes of Mount Koka. Then, Shōgun Yoshimura returned to Heian-kyō.[4]
• 1492 (Meiō 2, 1st month): The kampaku Ichijō Fuyuyoshi was named daijō-daijin.[4]
• 1492 (Meiō 2, 2nd month): Shōgun Yoshimura, accompanied by Hatakeyama Masanaga, marched against Kawachi Province, with plans to capture and put to death Hatakeyama Toshitoyo, the son of Yoshinari.[4]
• September 12, 1495 (Meiō 4, 24th day of the 8th month): Earthquake at Kamakura (35.100°N 139.500°E), 7.1 on the Surface wave magnitude scale (M_s ).[5]
• July 9, 1498 (Meiō 7, 20th day of the 6th month): Earthquake in the Enshū-nada Sea (34.400°N 137.700°E), 6.4 M_s .[5]
• September 20, 1498 (Meiō 7, 2nd day of the 7th month): Earthquake in the Enshū-nada Sea (34.000°N 138.100°E), 8.3 M_s  ; and also on that same day, another earthquake in Nankaidō (33.500°N 135.200°E), 7.5 M_s .[5]

See also

• Historic tsunami

Notes

1. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Mei-ō" in Japan encyclopedia, p. 625; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, see Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File.
2. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du Japon, pp. 352–364.
3. Titsigh, p. 364; this son of Yoshimi was named Yoshimura until 1501 when he changed his name to Yoshitane, and it is this name by which he will be more commonly recognized after his death.
4. Titsingh, p. 362.
5. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC): NOAA/Japan: Significant Earthquake Database

References

• Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 48943301
• Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Nihon Ōdai Ichiran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. OCLC 5850691

External links

• National Diet Library, "The Japanese Calendar" -- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection