Tenmei facts for kids

Tenmei (天明) was a special name for a period of time in Japan. It's like how we have years, but in old Japan, they also used "era names" called nengō. This era was also known as Temmei.

The Tenmei period came after the An'ei era and before the Kansei era. It started in April 1781 and ended in January 1789. During this time, the emperor of Japan was Kōkaku-tennō (光格天皇). The name Tenmei means "Heavenly Radiance," and its kanji characters can mean "dawn" or "daybreak."

What Happened During the Tenmei Era?

Map of Japan during the Tenmei era

Many important things happened in Japan during the Tenmei era. Here are some of the main events:

• 1782 (Tenmei 2): The Great Tenmei Famine began. This was a very difficult time when many people did not have enough food.
• 1782 (Tenmei 2): The emperor received a special report. It was a study about silver money used in China and Japan. A person named Minamoto no Masatsuna wrote it.
• 1783 (Tenmei 3): The Mount Asama volcano erupted. This happened in a place called Shinano Province. More than 20,000 people lost their lives because of this eruption.
• 1783 (Tenmei 3): The famine got much worse. People had used up all their stored food.
• 1784 (Tenmei 4): People across Japan celebrated Kōbō-Daishi. He was a very important monk who started a type of Buddhism called Shingon. He had died 950 years before this celebration.
• 1784 (Tenmei 4): The son of a powerful official named Tanuma Okitsugu was killed. This happened in Edo Castle, a very important place.
• 1786 (Tenmei 6): The shogun, Tokugawa Ieharu, died. A shogun was like a military ruler of Japan. He was buried in Edo.
• 1787 (Tenmei 7): Tokugawa Ienari became the 11th shogun. He was the new leader of the Tokugawa shogunate, which was the government at the time.
• 1787 (Tenmei 7): Matsudaira Sadanobu became a very senior official in the shogun's government. This position was called rōjū.
• 1787 (Tenmei 7): A book called Seiyō senpu was published. It was about Western coins. Kutsuki Masatsuna wrote this book.
• 1788 (Tenmei 7): There were riots in rice shops. This happened in big cities like Edo and Osaka. People were likely upset about food shortages.
• 1788 (Tenmei 8): A huge fire happened in Kyoto. The Imperial Palace, where the emperor lived, was destroyed.

Tenmei Era Timeline