Eien facts for kids

Eien (error: {{nihongo}}: Japanese or romaji text required (help)) was a special time period in Japanese history. It was a "nengō" (年号 (lit. "year name")), which is like a name for a specific era. This era came after the Kanna era and before the Eiso era. Eien lasted from April 987 to August 988. During this time, the ruler of Japan was Emperor Ichijō (error: {{nihongo}}: Japanese or romaji text required (help)).

What Happened During Eien?

During the Eien era, Emperor Ichijō made several important visits.

• 987 (Eien 1):
  • In October, Emperor Ichijō visited the home of Fujiwara no Kaneie. Kaneie was a very powerful leader in the government at that time.
  • In November, the Emperor visited the Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū. This was an important shrine.
  • In December, he also visited the Kamo Shrine, another significant religious site.
• 988 (Eien 2):
  • In November, Emperor Ichijō visited Kaneie's home again. This visit was to celebrate Kaneie's 60th birthday.

Related pages

• Heian period
• List of Japanese eras

More Information

• The National Diet Library has a section called "The Japanese Calendar" -- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection. It shows how Japanese eras work.