# Hakuchi (era)

Part of a series on the :
History of Japan :
PrehistoricPaleolithic35,000–14,000 BCJōmon14,000–1000 BCYayoi
1000 BC–300 AD :
AncientKofun
300–538 AD :
ClassicalAsuka
538–710Nara
710–794HeianFormer Nine Years' WarLater Three-Year WarGenpei War 794–1185 :
FeudalKamakuraJōkyū WarMongol invasionsGenkō WarKenmu Restoration 1185–1333MuromachiNanboku-chō periodSengoku period 1336–1573Azuchi–Momoyama
Nanban tradeImjin WarBattle of Sekigahara 1573–1603 :
Early modernEdo (Tokugawa)
Tokugawa shogunateInvasion of RyukyuSiege of OsakaSakokuPerry ExpeditionConvention of KanagawaBakumatsuMeiji RestorationBoshin War 1603–1868 :
ModernMeiji
Ryūkyū DispositionInvasion of Taiwan (1874)Satsuma RebellionFirst Sino-Japanese WarTreaty of ShimonosekiTriple InterventionInvasion of Taiwan (1895)Colonization of TaiwanBoxer RebellionRusso-Japanese WarTreaty of PortsmouthJapan–Korea TreatyColonization of Korea 1868–1912Taishō
World War IIntervention in SiberiaGreat Kantō earthquake 1912–1926Shōwa
MilitarismFinancial crisisNanking incidentMukden IncidentInvasion of ManchuriaMay 15 incidentFebruary 26 incidentAnti-Comintern PactTripartite PactSecond Sino-Japanese WarWorld War IIAttack on Pearl HarborPacific WarAtomic bombingsSoviet–Japanese WarSurrender of JapanOccupation of JapanPostwar JapanAnpo protestsEconomic miracleAsset price bubble1926–1989Heisei
Lost DecadesGreat Hanshin earthquakeCool JapanTōhoku earthquakeImperial transition 1989–2019ReiwaCOVID-19 pandemicAbe assassinationNoto earthquake 2019–present :
Topics
Capital punishment
Currency
Earthquakes
Economy
Era names
Education
Empire
Foreign relations
Geography
Historiography
Religion
Buddhism
Christianity
Islam
Judaism
Shinto
Military
Naval
Politics
Post-war
Science and technology
Sports
World Heritage Sites :
Glossary
History
Timeline :
vte :
Hakuchi (白雉) was a Japanese era name (年号, nengō, lit. "year name") after the Taika era and before Shuchō. This period spanned the years from February 650 through December 654. The reigning emperor was Kōtoku-tennō (孝徳天皇).

## History

The era began in 650, the sixth year of the Taika era, which was thus known as Hakuchi gannen (白雉元年, "Hakuchi start"). The daimyō of Nagato Province brought a white pheasant to the court as a gift for the emperor. This white pheasant was then construed as a good omen. Emperor Kōtoku was extraordinarily pleased by this special avian rarity, and he wanted the entire court to see this white bird for themselves. He commanded a special audience in which he could formally invite the sadaijin and the udaijin to join him in admiring the rare bird; and on this occasion, the emperor caused the nengō to be changed to Hakuchi (meaning "white pheasant").
In Japan, this was the second nengō, derived from the Chinese system of eras (nianhao); although some scholarly doubt has been cast on the authenticity of Taika and Hakuchi as historically legitimate era names.

### Timeline

* Timelines of early Japanese nengō and Imperial reign dates
The system of Japanese era names was not the same as Imperial reign dates.

## Events of the Hakuchi era

* 650 (Hakuchi 1): Kōtoku commanded that all prisoners were to be granted liberty throughout the country.
* 654 (Hakuchi 5, 1st month): A great number of rats moved into the province of Yamato; and this was construed as a sign that the capital should be moved.
* 654 (Hakuchi 5): Kōtoku died at the age of 59 after a reign of 10 years—five years during Taika, and five years during Hakuchi.