Japanese imperial year in the context of Era name


Regnal years, historically used to mark the years of a sovereign's reign, differed from modern dating systems by utilizing ordinal numbers—first year, second year, and so on—rather than cardinal numbers, and crucially, did not include a 'zeroth' year. This approach contrasts with systems like the Japanese imperial year, which are considered 'infinite era names' because they do not inherently limit the counting of years to a single ruler's lifespan.

⭐ In the context of regnal years, Japanese imperial year dating is considered…

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⭐ Core Definition: Japanese imperial year

The era after the enthronement of Emperor Jimmu (神武天皇即位紀元, Jinmu-tennō sokui kigen), colloquially known as the Japanese imperial year (皇紀, kōki) or "national calendar year" is a unique calendar system in Japan. It is based on the legendary foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu in 660 BC. Kōki emphasizes the long history of Japan and the Imperial dynasty.The Gregorian year 2025 is Kōki 2685 (皇紀二千六百八十五年).

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In the context of regnal years, Japanese imperial year dating is considered…
HINT: Regnal years are defined as 'finite era names' because they are tied to the length of a monarch's rule, while systems like the Japanese imperial year continue indefinitely, making them 'infinite' in scope.

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Japanese imperial year in the context of Regnal years

A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin regnum meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of rule, a third year of rule, and so on, but not a zeroth year of rule.

Applying this ancient epoch system to modern calculations of time, which include zero, is what led to the debate over when the third millennium began. Regnal years are "finite era names", contrary to "infinite era names" such as Christian era, Jimmu era, Juche era, and so on.

View the full Wikipedia page for Regnal years
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