Tenpō facts for kids

Tenpō (天保), also known as Tempō, was a special way of naming time periods in Japan. It's like how we have years, but in old Japan, they also had "era names" called nengō. The Tenpō period came after the Bunsei era and before the Kōka era.

This era started in December 1830 and finished in December 1844. During these years, the emperor of Japan was Emperor Ninko. The word Tenpō means "Heavenly Protection."

Important Events of the Tenpō Era

In the 8th year of Tenpō, the Morrison anchored off Uraga in Tokyo Bay

The Tenpō era saw many important events in Japan:

• 1833-1836 (Tenpō 4-7): Japan faced a very difficult time called the Great Tenpō Famine. Many people suffered from a lack of food.
• 1835 (Tenpō 6): New copper coins were made. They were called Tenpō-tsūhō.
• July 20, 1835 (Tenpō 6): A big earthquake hit the Sanriku area. It was very strong, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale.
• 1837-1843 (Tenpō 8-14): Gold and silver coins, known as Tenpō-kingin, were also made during these years.
• 1837 (Tenpō 8): Tokugawa Ieyoshi became the 12th shogun. A shogun was like a military ruler of Japan.
• 1837 (Tenpō 8): There was an uprising led by Ōshio Heihachirō and Ikuta Yorozu. This event is known as Tempo Jiken.
• 1837 (Tenpō 8): The Morrison Incident happened. An American ship called the Morrison was fired upon by cannons near Uraga and Kagoshima.
• 1837 (Tenpō 8): Tokugawa Yoshinobu, who would later become a very important figure in Japanese history, was born.
• December 12, 1840 (Tenpō 11): The former Emperor Kōkaku passed away.
• April 25, 1843 (Tenpō 14): Another powerful earthquake struck, this time in Hokkaido. It measured 8.4 on the Richter Scale.
• 1844 (Tenpō 15): The way the lunar calendar was calculated was fixed. The new calendar was named Tenpō-Jinin. This calendar was used in Japan until 1872, when Japan started using the Gregorian calendar like many other countries.

Related Information

• Edo period: This was the larger historical period that the Tenpō era was a part of.
• Tenpō calendar: Learn more about the calendar changes made during this time.

Images for kids

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  Branched ("Edasen" 枝銭) Mon coins from the Tenpō period.