Enpō

Enpō (延宝) (contemporarily written as 延寳) is the Japanese era name (年号, nengō; "year name") after Kanbun and before Tenna. This period spanned the years from September 1673 to September 1681.^[1] The reigning emperor was Reigen-tennō (霊元天皇).^[2]

Change of era

• 1673 Enpō gannen (延宝元年): The new era of Enpō (meaning "Prolonged Wealth") was created to mark a number of disasters, including a great fire in Kyōto. The previous era ended and a new one commenced in Kanbun 14, on the ninth day of the 13th month.

Events of the Enpō era

• 1673 (Enpō 1): There was a great fire in Heian-kyō.^[3]
• 1673 (Enpō 1): The foundations for Mitsui financial success began with the opening of a dry good store in Edo.^[4]
• May 10, 1674 (Enpō 2, 5th day of the 4th month): Ingen Ryūki, founder of the Ōbaku sect of Japanese Zen Buddhism, died at Manpuku-ji, a Buddhist temple which Ingen had founded at Uji, near Heian-kyō.^[3]
• 1675 (Enpō 3): A devastating fire burned Heian-kyō.^[3]
• 1675 (Enpō 3): The Bonin Islands (Ogasawara Islands) are explored by shogunate expedition, following up "discovery" of the islands by the Japanese when a ship bound for Edo from Kyūshū is blown off course by a storm in Kanbun 10. The islands are claimed as a territory of Japan.^[5]
• April 7, 1680 (Enpō 8, 8th day of the 3rd month) : Tokugawa Ietsuna, the 4th shōgun of the Edo bakufu died; and his named successor, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, was ready to take his place as the 5th Tokugawa shōgun.^[3]

Gravestone showing "延寳二甲寅年" (Enpō 2, 1674)