East Asian History at a Glance
Books are part of the flow of history. But it is not only about Japanese history. Many books travel over the seas from time to time for several reasons, and a lot of knowledge and information come and go with books.
In this course, you wi’ll see books published in Japan as well as ones that came from China and Korea. Let’s take a quick look at the history of East Asia. You do not have to remember all the names of the historical periods mentioned, but please refer to this page as you progress through the course.
[The PDF version of the timelines on this page is available in the DOWNLOADS section below, which also includes some helpful maps. Please check it out!
Japanese History Overview
This is a list of the main periods of Japanese history. This may be a useful reference as we proceed in the course.
| Period | Name of Era | Name of Era |
|---|---|---|
| – mid-3rd c. CE | Yayoi | 弥生 |
| mid-3rd c. CE – 7th c. CE | Kofun (Tomb period) | 古墳 |
| 592 – 710 | Asuka | 飛鳥 |
| 710-794 | Nara | 奈良 |
| 794 – 1185 | Heian | 平安 |
| 1185 – 1333 | Kamakura | 鎌倉 |
| 1333 – 1392 | Nanboku-chō (Southern and Northern Courts period) | 南北朝 |
| 1392 – 1573 | Muromachi | 室町 |
| 1573 – 1603 | Azuchi-Momoyama | 安土桃山 |
| 1603 – 1868 | Edo | 江戸 |
| 1868 – 1912 | Meiji | 明治 |
Era names (Nengō) in Edo Period
There were several era names (nengo, or gengo) in the Edo period (1603 ~ 1868) and your educators will sometime use them in the description of old books and materials, especially in Weeks 2 and 4. Here is the complete list of Edo-period era names for your convenience:
| Start | Era name | English | Start | Era name | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1596 | 慶長 | Keichō | 1744 | 延享 | Enkyō | |
| 1615 | 元和 | Genna | 1748 | 寛延 | Kan’en | |
| 1624 | 寛永 | Kan’ei | 1751 | 宝暦 | Hōreki | |
| 1644 | 正保 | Shōhō | 1764 | 明和 | Meiwa | |
| 1648 | 慶安 | Keian | 1772 | 安永 | An’ei | |
| 1652 | 承応 | Jōō | 1781 | 天明 | Tenmei | |
| 1655 | 明暦 | Meireki | 1789 | 寛政 | Kansei | |
| 1658 | 万治 | Manji | 1801 | 享和 | Kyōwa | |
| 1661 | 寛文 | Kanbun | 1804 | 文化 | Bunka | |
| 1673 | 延宝 | Enpō | 1818 | 文政 | Bunsei | |
| 1681 | 天和 | Tenna | 1830 | 天保 | Tenpō | |
| 1684 | 貞享 | Jōkyō | 1844 | 弘化 | Kōka | |
| 1688 | 元禄 | Genroku | 1848 | 嘉永 | Kaei | |
| 1704 | 宝永 | Hōei | 1854 | 安政 | Ansei | |
| 1711 | 正徳 | Shōtoku | 1860 | 万延 | Man’en | |
| 1716 | 享保 | Kyōhō | 1861 | 文久 | Bunkyū | |
| 1736 | 元文 | Genbun | 1864 | 元治 | Genji | |
| 1741 | 寛保 | Kanpō | 1865 | 慶応 | Keiō |
Chinese History Overview
This is a list of the main periods in Chinese history. This may also be a useful reference as we proceed in the course as many of the books we will discuss were written in China.
| Period | Name of Era | Name of Era |
|---|---|---|
| 1046 – 256 BCE | Zhou | 周 |
| 480 – 221 BCE | Warring States | 戦国時代 |
| 221 – 206 BCE | Qin | 秦 |
| 206 BC – 8 CE | Former Han | 前漢 |
| 8 – 23 CE | Xin | 新 |
| 25 – Early 3rd period | Later Han | 後漢 |
| Early 3rd period – Late 3rd period | Period of Three Kingdoms | 三国時代 |
| 265 – 316 | Jin, Western Jin | 晋（西晋） |
| 317 – 420 | Jin, Eastern Jin | 晋（東晋） |
| 304 – 439 | Period of the Sixteen Kingdoms | 五胡十六国時代 |
| 439 – 589 | Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties | 南北朝時代 |
| 581 – 618 | Suí | 隋 |
| 618 – 907 | Táng | 唐 |
| 907 – 960 | Period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms | 五代十国時代 |
| 960 – 1127 | Northern Song | 北宋 |
| 1127 – 1279 | Southern Song | 南宋 |
| 1271 – 1368 | Yuan | 元 |
| 1368 – 1644 | Ming | 明 |
| 1644 – 1912 | Qing | 清 |
Korean History Overview
This is a list of the main periods in Korean history. Many books came to Japan from or through Korea.
| Period | Name of Era | Name of Era |
|---|---|---|
| – 108 BC | Old Choseon | 古朝鮮 |
| 57 BC – 935 | Silla | 新羅 |
| 18 BC – 660 | Baekje | 百済 |
| 37 BC – 668 | Goguryeo | 高句麗 |
| 918 – 1392 | Goryeo | 高麗 |
| 1392 – 1910 | Joseon | 李氏朝鮮 |
