Couple of quick notes from across the sea…today is National Foundation Day in Japan. Calculations derived from the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki date the beginning of the Japanese imperial line and the founding of the Japanese nation to February 13, 661 B.C.E., with the Emperor Jimmu getting the credit for both occasions. While the early chapters of these two texts are generally considered mythological…what the heck, I’m in no position to argue. It’s like dating 5000 years of Chinese history back to the Yellow Emperor, if people believe it, that’s great, more power to ‘em.
The lunar calendar dates in the Kojiki were ‘confirmed’ by the Emperor Kammu in the 8th Century C.E. and after the Meiji Restoration of 1868, when the Japanese government switched calendars, scholars fussed about and decided on the gregorian calendar date of February 11.
During the Meiji era, the day was proclaimed “Empire Day” in 1872, as a celebration of national unity and homage to the imperial line. Notably, the Japanese government also chose this date in 1889 to promulgate the Meiji Constitution. The annual celebration of empire (with not so subtle overtones of imperialism at key moments in history) was scuttled after World