紀き元げん節せつ

き

げ

ん

せ

つ

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

Empire Day

historical term

Historical term for a former national holiday celebrated on February 11th, commemorating the legendary accession of Emperor Jimmu. Held from 1872 to 1948; later replaced by 建国記念の日 (National Foundation Day).

Kanji

紀chronicle, account, narrative
元beginning, former time, origin
節node, season, period

Related words

建けん国こく記き念ねんの日ひ
The modern successor to 紀元節, celebrated on the same date but with a different name and less imperial emphasis.

Etymology

From 紀元 (kigen, 'era origin') + 節 (setsu, 'festival'). The term was coined in the Meiji period to mark the mythical founding of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.