Japan celebrate National Foundation Day annually on February 11. First emperor of Japan,”Jimmu”, who established his capital in Yamato in 660 BC.In his memory,this day was celibrated. National Foundation Day become an official holiday in 1872.
The origin of National Foundation Day is New Year’s Day in the traditional lunisolar calendar.
On that day, the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu was celebrated based on “Nihonshoki (日本書紀)”, which
states that Emperor “Jimmu” ascended to the throne on the first day of the first month.
In the Meiji period, the Japanese government designated the day as a national holiday. This coincided with the
switch from the lunisolar calendar to the Gregorian calendar in 1873. In 1872, when the holiday was originally
proclaimed, it was January 29 of the Gregorian calendar, which corresponded to Lunar New Year of 1873.
Contrary to the government’s expectation, this led people to see the day as just Lunar New Year, instead of National
Foundation Day.
In response, the government moved the holiday to February 11 of the Gregorian calendar in 1873. The government
stated that it corresponded to Emperor Jimmu’s regnal day but did not publish the exact method of computation.
In its original form, the holiday was named Empire Day (紀元節,, Kigensetsu). It is thought that the Meiji Emperor
may have wanted to establish this holiday to bolster the legitimacy of the imperial family following the abolition of
the “Tokugawa” Shogunate. The national holiday was supported by those who believed that focusing national attention
on the emperor would serve a unifying purpose. Publicly linking his rule with the mythical first emperor, J”immu”,
and thus “Amaterasu, the Meiji Emperor declared himself the one, true ruler of Japan.
With large parades and festivals, in its time, “Kigensetsu” was considered one of the four major holidays of Japan.
Given its reliance on “Shinto” mythology and its reinforcement of the Japanese nobility, Kigensetsu was abolished
following World War II. Ironically, February 11th was also the day when General MacArthur approved the draft version
of the model Constitution in 1946.
The commemorative holiday was re-established as National Foundation Day in 1966. Though stripped of most of
its overt references to the Emperor, National Foundation Day was still a day for expressing patriotism and love of
the nation in the 1950s.
Events on National Foundation Day of Japan
The celebration of the tradition remains strong and extravagant to date. Every year, the people of Japan celebrate their National Foundation Day with the traditional flag festival and parades. This is observed all over Japan and is considered as one of the four main holidays of the country.
One of the highlights of the event is the float parade in the compound of Meiji shrine where people carry a miniature temple with their national flag, all decorated with ornaments as they carry it on their shoulders.
National Holidays Incoming search terms:
- jpy holidays 2012
- japan national day 2012
- japan national holidays
- japan golden week 2012
- what are the government of bank holidays in japan
- japan holiday 20 march 2012
- japan banks holiday mar 2012
- japanese national foundation day
- holiday in japan 3/20
- japanese banking holidays 2012
- 20 march 2012 japan holiday
- what is the difference of valentine day and foundation day in japan
- japanese national holidays in march 2012
- when is golden week in japan 2012
- japans national foundation day
- jpy holiday calendar 2012
- JPY CCY HOLIDAY 2012
- Japanese National holiday
- jpy ccy bank holiday 2012
- JPY Bank holidays in march
- jpy bank holidays
- japanese public holidays 2012 calendar
- JPY BANK HOLIDAY
- jpy march 20 2012
- when is japan golden week 2012
- what japanese holiday is on march 20
- public holiday japan march 20 2012
- public holiday in Japan 20 march 2012
- national holiday in japan february 2012
- national day in japan
- meiji shrine national foundation day band
- march 20th 2012 is it a holiday in india
- march 20 Japan
- list of public holidays in japan
- list of japanese national holidays
- list of japanese holidays
- list of japan foundation holidays at india
- why celebrate foundation day in japan
- japanese holidays on march
- japanese holiday february 26