Keichō

Change of era

• 1596 Keichō gannen: The era name was changed to Keichō to mark the passing of various natural disasters. The preceding era ended and a new one commenced on October 27 of the 5th Bunroku.

  Events of the ''Keichō'' era

• 1596 : Keichō Invasion.
• September 18, 1598 : Toyotomi Hideyoshi died in his Fushimi Castle at the age of 63.
• October 21, 1600 : Battle of Sekigahara. The Tokugawa clan and its allies decisively vanquish all opposition.
• January 15, 1602 : A fire at the Hōkō-ji temple complex in Kyoto was caused by careless workmen; and the great image of the buddha and the structure housing the statue were consumed by the flames.
• 1603 : Tokugawa Ieyasu became shōgun, which effectively becomes the beginning of what will become the Edo bakufu. Toyotomi Hideyori was elevated to Naidaijin in Miyako Daijō-kan.
• 1604-1606 : Tokugawa Ieyasu undertook the rebuilding of Asama Shrine at the base of Mount Fuji in Suruga Province in fulfillment of a vow and in gratitude for the help of the kami during the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600.
• 1605 : Tokugawa Hidetada was named successor shōgun after his father "retires" from the position of shōgun.
• 1605 : The first official map of Japan was ordered in this year and completed in 1639 at a scale of 1:280,000.
• January 23, 1605 : A new volcanic island, Hachijōko-jima, arose from the sea at the side of Hachijō Island in the Izu Islands which stretch south and east from the Izu Peninsula.
• 1606 : Construction began on Edo Castle.
• 1607 : Construction began on Sunpu Castle in Suruga; and an ambassador from China arrived with greetings for the emperor of Japan.
• 1609 : Invasion of Ryukyu by Shimazu daimyō of Satsuma.
• August 24, 1609 : Trading pass issued to Dutch East Indies Company in the name of Ieyasu Tokugawa.
• November 15, 1610 : Toyotomi Hideyori sponsors work which is begun to rebuild the Hōkō-ji in line with the plans which his father had supported; and this will include recreating the Daibutsu of Kyoto in bronze to replace the wooden image which had been burned. At this time, Hideyori also decides to order a great bell cast in bronze.
• May 20, 1610 : Hideyori came to Kyoto to visit the former-shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu; and the same day, the emperor resigns in favor of his son Masahito. Emperor Go-Yōzei abdicates; and his son receives the succession.
• 1611 : Emperor Go-Mizunoo formally accedes to the throne.
• 1613 : In the years 1613 through 1620, Hasekura Tsunenaga headed a diplomatic mission to the Vatican in Rome, traveling through New Spain and visiting various ports-of-call in Europe. This historic mission is called the Keichō Embassy,. On the return trip, Hasekura and his companions re-traced their route across Mexico in 1619, sailing from Acapulco for Manilla, and then sailing north to Japan in 1620. This is conventionally considered the first Japanese ambassador in the Americas and in Europe.
• 1614 : Siege of Osaka. The shōgun vanquished Hideyori and set fire to Osaka Castle, and then he returned for the winter to Edo.
• August 24, 1614 : A new bronze bell for the Hōkō-ji was cast successfully ; but despite dedication ceremony planning, Ieyasu forbade any further actions concerning the great bell:
• October 18, 1614 : A strong earthquake shook Kyoto.
• 1615 : Osaka Summer Battle begins.

  Era developments

• Copper, silver and gold coins called Keichō-tsūhō were issued in the Keichō era helping to unify the currency system.
• Keichō-chokuhan, also called Keichō shinkoku-bon, were Imperial publications, produced during the Keichō era at the command of Emperor Go-Yōzei and printed using moveable type which had been imported from the Joseon Kingdom on the Korean peninsula.
• Keichō no katsuji-ban was the general name for the first works printed with moveable typ during the Keichō era.
• Things Heard and Seen During the Keichō Era also called the Kembun-shū was a book, a collection of tales and anecdotes compiled by Miura Jōshin.