Cheat sheet for Alternate Date Kanji?

[Bruce Pennington]

Brian,

I enjoy your pages of useful kanji, but something that I always struggle with is the alternate forms of dating on blades.  Some of them use a kanji for some of the numbers that aren't on the normal lists.  There are also alternate forms of months, etc.  It would be cool to have a page, like your others for such info.  If it is too complicated, maybe it could simply list links to pages that explain such things.  I know I've seen various ones explained on Translation pages over the years, but I find those practically impossible to find on a Search.

 

What do you think?

[Brian]

Examples? Like Zodiac dating?

[Bruce Pennington]

No, like these (posted on the Translation section)  We have good references for the era kanji, but they often use different kanji for the numbers than standard.

 

 

[Bruce Pennington]

Jussi just explained the 2 extra kanji in green, under the "3" represent a 60 year cycle that corresponds to the stated date.  That's the kind of stuff I have no grasp of, nor any Go-to reference to decipher.

[Bugyotsuji]

Bruce, if no-one else posts a chart, I’ll show one or two of mine here later when I get a moment. 😊 

 

(Japanese sword or history diaries usually show them in the dates section.)

 

Can you find your example, Genroku 3?

 

And here are 1~60 with alternate readings. (Bottom chart No. 7)

 

 

 

 

 

[Bruce Pennington]

1 hour ago, Bugyotsuji said:

Genroku 3?

Yes!  That's helpful.  I'll have to create a "Date Translation" file now.

[DoTanuki yokai]

https://Japan-forwar...Japanese-swords/amp/  maybe this is also of some help 

[Bruce Pennington]

3 hours ago, DoTanuki yokai said:

maybe this is also of some help 

Yes, thanks!  Those "FIrst Month" "Second Month" kanji always throw me.  Now I have them copied to my Translation File.

[Kiipu]

Besides the above, there is one another character that I have seen used in dates.  It can be used for the day, month, or year.

元 = 1st.

For example, 元年 first year (of an imperial era).

[Brian]

If someone wants to compile a small list of kanji and meanings for me to add to the glossary, feel free. I just don't have the time right now to do the research.

[Bruce Pennington]

睦 or元  月 = First Month

如月 = Second Month

弥生 = Third Month

卯月 = Fourth Month

早 or 皐月 = Fifth Month

水無月 = Sixth Month

文月 = Seventh Month

葉月 = Eighth Month

長月 = Ninth Month

神無月 = Tenth Month

霜月 = Eleventh Month

師走 = Twelfth Month

[Mark S.]

For many things ‘date related’ I also recommend information in Markus Sesko’s Nihonto Compendium pages 39-56. Free up above in the “Nihonto Info” >>> “Reaserch” area.

[Mark S.]

I’m sure many of us ‘older’ members have our little notebooks of photocopies, hand written notes, etc.  Here are a couple from mine that have some number/date related notes.  Please excuse the scribble hand notes. 

[Bruce Pennington]

18 minutes ago, Mark S. said:

Markus Sesko’s Nihonto Compendium

Wow, Mark!  I have that downloaded already, but now that I know a bit more of the various methods of dating, this now makes more sense to me.  Boy, he's got a LOT more kanji variations for everything date related.

 

Well, Brian, after seeing that, maybe the idea of adding date kanji to your list is a slippery slope that would wind up getting more complicated than we need.

 

But, this thread has been a good education for me.  

 

Thanks to all who have helped!

[Kiipu]

This should cover most dates found on gendaitō 現代刀.  Everyone has permission to use so feel free to cut and paste.  No acknowledgement is needed, desired, or required.

 

Imperial Era = 皇紀 or 紀元 (see Japanese imperial year).

Meiji = 明治 (1868-0908 to 1912-0730).

Taishō = 大正 (1912-0730 to 1926-1225).

Shōwa =  昭和 (1926-1225 to 1989-0107).

 

Year = 年.

Month = 月.

Day = 日.

Spring = 春.

Summer = 夏.

Autumn = 秋.

Winter = 冬.

 

The numbers are in the order of common to formal.

０ = 〇 零.

１ = 一 壱 壹.

１ｓｔ = 元.

２ = 二 弐 貮 貳.

３ = 三 参 參.

４ = 四 肆.

５ = 五 伍.

６ = 六 陸.

７ = 七 柒 漆.

８ = 八 捌.

９ = 九 玖.

１０ = 十 拾.

２０ = 廾 廿.

３０ = 卅 丗.

４０ = 卌.

１００ = 百 陌 佰.

１０００ = 千 阡 仟.

１００００ = 万 萬.

 

Any comments, corrections, or criticism welcomed.

[Kiipu]

Sometimes the sexagenary cycle was used and below are the early Shōwa years.  For more examples, Wikipedia has them for the years 1804 to 2043.

Sexagenary cycle

 

1926 = 丙寅.

1927 = 丁卯.

1928 = 戊辰.

1929 = 己巳.

1930 = 庚午.

1931 = 辛未.

1932 = 壬申.

1933 = 癸酉.

1934 = 甲戌.

1935 = 乙亥.

1936 = 丙子.

1937 = 丁丑.

1938 = 戊寅.

1939 = 己卯.

1940 = 庚辰.

1941 = 辛巳.

1942 = 壬午.

1943 = 癸未.

1944 = 甲申.

1945 = 乙酉.