Gentoku facts for kids
Gentoku was a special way of counting years in Japan, like how we use "2024" today. It was a "Japanese era name" or nengō. This period came after an era called Karyaku.
The Gentoku era was used by the group known as the Northern Court in Japan. This was just before a big split in the country's history called the Nanboku-chō period, where Japan had two different emperors at the same time. The Gentoku era for the Northern Court started in August 1329 and ended in April 1332. It was followed by the Shōkyō era.
At the same time, another group, the Southern Court, also used the Gentoku era. However, they stopped using it sooner, in August 1331. After that, the Southern Court began a new era called Genkō.
During the Gentoku era, there were two main emperors. In Kyoto, the capital, the emperor supported by the Northern Court was Emperor Kōgon. But in Yoshino, another emperor, Emperor Go-Daigo, was supported by the Southern Court. These two emperors were rivals, meaning they were competing for control of Japan.
Important Events of the Gentoku Era
- March 27, 1330 (which was the 8th day of the 3rd month in the 2nd year of Gentoku): Emperor Go-Daigo, the leader of the Southern Court, visited two very famous temples in Nara: Tōdai-ji and Kōfuku-ji. These temples are important historical sites in Japan.
Related Information
- Kamakura period
- You can learn more about the Japanese calendar and its history from the National Diet Library's website: "The Japanese Calendar"
