Kempo (era) facts for kids

Kempo (建保) was a special name for a period of time in Japanese history, much like how we use years today. It was an "era name" or nengō. This era happened after a period called Kenryaku and before another one known as Jōkyū. The Kempo era lasted from December 1213 to April 1219. During this time, the emperor of Japan was Emperor Juntoku.

Important Events of the Kempo Era

Kempo 1 (1213)

• In the first month of 1213, a big earthquake shook Kamakura.
• Later that year, in November, a famous poet named Fujiwara no Teika (also known as Fujiwara no Sadeie) gave a special collection of poems to the Shogun Sanetomo. These poems were from the 8th century and were known as the Man'yōshū.

Kempo 2 (1214)

• In February 1214, the Shogun Sanetomo enjoyed tea with a Buddhist priest named Eisai.
• In March, the emperor traveled to a place called Kasuga.
• In April, a temple named Enryaku-ji caught fire. Shogun Sanetomo paid for the repairs to fix it.

Kempo 3 (1215)

• In January 1215, Hōjō Tokimasa passed away at the age of 78 in the mountains of Izu Province.
• In June, the Buddhist priest Eisai died at 75 years old.
• Between August and September, there were many more earthquakes in the Kamakura area.

Kempo 5 (1217)

• In August and September of 1217, the emperor visited the Shrines at Hirano and at Ōharano, which are both near Kyoto.

Related Pages

• Kamakura period