Japanese calendar

Calendrical systems used in Japan include the traditional lunisolar calendar and the modern Gregorian calendar. Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar for civil use in 1873 while retaining traditional systems for some observances.

Japanese lunisolar calendar: The traditional Japanese calendar, adapted from the Chinese lunisolar calendar, which coordinated lunar months with the solar year. It was Japan’s principal calendar before the 1873 change to Gregorian civil dating.
Chinese calendar: A lunisolar calendar system that shaped traditional calendars across East Asia. Japan adapted its traditional calendar from successive Chinese calendar systems.
Japanese New Year: Japan’s annual New Year celebration, observed on January 1 under the Gregorian calendar. Its modern date reflects the country’s shift away from lunar New Year dating.
Lunisolar calendar: A calendar that follows lunar months while periodically adjusting them to stay aligned with the solar year. This general calendar type explains the structure of Japan’s traditional system.
Gregorian calendar: The solar calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 and now used for civil dates in Japan. It supplies Japan’s current civil year, month, and date.
Taika Reform: A set of political reforms begun in Japan in 645 that strengthened centralized government. Calendar adoption formed part of the state-building reforms associated with this period.
Japanese calendar holidays: National holidays established by Japanese law and observed on specified dates or weekdays. Their dates show how the modern civil calendar structures public time off.
Lunar calendar: A calendar whose months follow lunar phases without regular adjustment to the solar year. Unlike the Japanese lunisolar calendar, a purely lunar calendar shifts through the seasons.
Sekki: Twenty-four divisions of the solar year used in East Asian calendars to mark seasonal changes. These solar divisions structured seasonal dating in the traditional calendar.
Tenpō calendar: The last official Japanese lunisolar calendar, introduced in 1844 and used until the Gregorian reform. It was the calendar in force immediately before Japan changed its civil dating system.

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