Keiun

, also known as Kyōun, was a  following Taihō and preceding Wadō. The period startedin May 704 and ended in January 708.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Keiun" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 506. The reigning emperors were Nussbaum, "Mommu Tennō," p. 655. and .Nussbaum, "Gemmei Tennō," pp. 235-236; Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du Japon, pp. 60-63; Brown, Delmer et al. (1979). Gukanshō, pp. 270-271; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki. pp. 137-140. 

Events of the Keiun era
 697 (Keiun 4): In the 11th year of Mommu's reign, the emperor died,Imperial Household Agency (Kunaichō):  文武天皇 (42); retrieved 2012-5-27. but his son and heir was too young to receive the succession (senso). Instead, the mother of the heir became Japan's monarch until her son grew older.Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki, p. 44; a distinct act of senso is unrecognized prior to Emperor Tenji; and all sovereigns except Jitō,  Yōzei, Go-Toba, and Fushimi have senso and sokui in the same year until the reign of Emperor Go-Murakami. Compare Kunaichō,  Ceremony of Accession (Sokui-no-Rei); retrieved 2012-5-22.
 18 July 707 (Keiun 4, 15th day of the 6th month): Gemmei's role as monarch is confirmed by ceremonies (sokui).  She was aged 48.Brown, p. 271.
 707 (Keiun 4): Deposits of copper were found in Musashi Province.Titsingh,  p. 63.  
 708 (Keiun 5): The era name was changed to mark the beginning of the reign of Empress Gemmei; and Wadō as the new nengō mark the welcome discovery of copper in the Chichibu District of what is now Saitama Prefecture.  The Japanese word for copper is dō (銅); and since this was indigenous copper, the "wa" (the ancient Chinese term for Japan) could be combined with the "dō" (copper) to create a new composite term — "wadō" — meaning "Japanese copper."

Related pages
 Asuka period

References

Other websites
 National Diet Library, "The Japanese Calendar" -- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection

Keiun1st2nd3rd4th5th  704  705  706  707  708 
Preceded by:TaihōEra or nengō:'Keiun
| width =20% |Succeeded by:Wadō''

Category:Japanese eras
Category:700s establishments in Japan
Category:8th-century disestablishments in Japan
Category:700s disestablishments
Category:700s establishments