Time, the Calendar, and Centralized Power in Japan: Relying on the Research of Yoshiro Okada

Authors

Hiroshi Saito, Faculty of Law, Toyo University

Keywords

Time, Calendar, Law, Power, Japan

Received Date

5-24-2021

Revised Date

6-7-2021

Accepted Date

6-20-2021

Publication Date

3-31-2022

Abstract

When, why, how, and by whom was “time” combined with “law” in Japan? This paper scrutinizes the issue based on Yoshiro Okada’s research, especially his most important works: Nihon no Koyomi and his thesis “Meiji no Kaireki: ‘Toki’ no chuo shuken-ka.” It is thus possible to understand how the political authorities used the unification of the calendar system to demonstrate their power and to govern the lives of the nation. Thereafter, “time” was used as a fundamental and important standard for judgment in the science of law, legalism, and the rule of law. In this process, “calendar (time) and law” became social capital as a public good in society.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Saito, Hiroshi (2022) "Time, the Calendar, and Centralized Power in Japan: Relying on the Research of Yoshiro Okada," Japanese Society and Culture: Vol. 4, Article 4.
DOI: 10.52882/2434-1738-04-04
Available at: https://gensoken.toyo.ac.jp/japanese-society-and-culture/vol4/iss1/4