Taika (era) facts for kids

Taika (大化) was a special name for a period of time in Japanese history. It's like how we have years, but in old Japan, they also used "era names" called nengō.

Taika was the very first nengō ever used! After Taika, came an era called Hakuchi. This important time started in August 645 and ended in February 650. During the Taika era, Emperor Kōtoku was the ruler of Japan.

History of Era Names

The idea of using nengō (era names) came from China. China had a similar system called nianhao.

Using these era names was a big step for the Japanese Imperial court. It showed that their political power was growing stronger.

Important Events of the Taika Era

• 645 (Taika 1): Empress Kōgyoku decided to step down from her role. This is called abdicating. Her brother, Emperor Kōtoku, then took her place. Soon after, Emperor Kōtoku's new role as ruler was confirmed with special ceremonies.

• 645 (Taika 1): Emperor Kōtoku started big changes to the government. These changes were called the Taika Reform. The main ideas for this new system were written down. For example, Kōtoku divided Japan into eight provinces. He also set up a system where government officials had different ranks.

• 645 (Taika 1): The main city of Japan was moved. It went from Asuka to Naniwa in an area called Settsu Province. Emperor Kōtoku's palace in Naniwa was named Toyosaki-no-Miya.

• 646 (Taika 2, 1st day of the 1st month): Emperor Kōtoku made a regular schedule for the court. Important meetings with the emperor were only held on certain days. He also ordered that special buildings be made to store goods and weapons. These were for a national army. Rules for how people should act and behave at court were also set up.

• 649 (Taika 5): A new government system was created. It had eight main departments and 100 smaller offices.

• 650 (Taika 6): A powerful local leader, called a daimyo, from Nagato Province brought a white pheasant bird to the emperor as a gift. This white pheasant was seen as a very good sign. Because of this good sign, the emperor decided to change the era name from Taika to Hakuchi. Hakuchi means "white pheasant."

Related pages

• Asuka period

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

See also

In Spanish: Taika (era) para niños