Japan waits nervously to learn new word that will define era of next emperor

Across Japan printers, minters and computer programmers alike are waiting. Since Emperor Akihito announced in December 2017 that he would be abdicating at the end of April this year, one question has stuck on their lips: Which two kanji characters would be chosen to define the new imperial era? In a tradition that dates back to the 7th century, each Japanese emperor’s time on the throne is accompanied by a word that helps sets the tone and leaves a mark on history. The name of the current era applied since Akihito, 85, took the throne in 1989 as Japan boomed is Heisei, meaning “peace” “achievement” or “becoming”. Official documentation tends to be stamped with the kanji. In echoes of the Millenium Bug, Fujitsu and NEC have been helping customers ensure their computers do not crash when the new epoch is ushered in, while in banks and offices across the country, clerks will be restamping paperwork with the new gengо̄, or era. As well as the practical changes resulting from the unveiling expected on Monday, a great symbolic weight will adorn whichever two kanji finally make the cut. The phrase they produce will be pregnant with the state’s hope for the coming epoch – and will be the moniker by which the period is remembered in retrospect.  While most feathers will remain unruffled by the announcement, the practicalities involved in the changeover cannot be overstated, says Dr Jonathan Bunt, Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies at the University of Manchester. The name for the next period will be made up of two kanji, which leave plenty of room for interpretation of their meaning. Pictured: a temple master brushes the kanji for “disaster” after the series of natural disasters that hit the country last year Credit: AFP “The country is in suspended animation,” he says. “People can’t do calendars, dictionaries, coinage – the entire national production of physical objects with dates on them is stuck in aspic.” Across the country, sweepstakes have sprung up to cater for the speculation over the name that will replace the current Heisei period. One frontrunner is Ankyū – meaning “safety” “security” or “peace” and “long-lasting”, which Dr Bunt describes as a “nice but bland” choice that would be “suitable and appropriate”. While Japan’s economy still grows, the country faces difficulties including an ageing population and is leaving a period marked by memories of the 2011 Tōhoku tsunami and the 1995 Hanshin earthquake.  The traditional Japanese calendar system of gengо̄ dates back to the 7th century, far predating the introduction of the Gregorian calendar to the country in 1896. Today, 34 per cent of Japanese say they use gengо̄ most of the time, compared to a quarter who hold a preference for the Gregorian calendar. While the process by which the phrase is selected remains highly secretive – undertaken by an unnamed clique of academics who pour over classical texts looking for the perfect phrase before reporting directly to government – there is still room left for interpretation.  “One of the delights of the Japanese writing system is that you can come up with interesting ways to read characters that are new,” explains Dr Bunt. “The academics will not want the phrase to sound like a person or place name that already exists.”

Source: https://news.yahoo.com/japan-awaits-naming-countrys-imperial-171825339.html
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