Year in Japan

1608 in Japanese History

2 recorded entries for this year. It falls in the Edo period (江戸時代, 1603 – 1868).

Era name: Keichō 慶長 (year 13 of the era)

What happened 出来事

Iwakuni Castle 岩国城 · Castle — fortification
Hagi Castle 萩城 · Castle — Japanese castle in Hagi, Yamaguchi prefecture

Reading the year 1608 in Japanese

Japanese sources from this period date events by era name, not by the Western calendar. 1608 corresponds to Keichō 慶長 (year 13 of the era). Years are written with 年 (ねん, nen) — so 1600 appears as 慶長5年, "the fifth year of Keichō".

The year itself is read 1608年 (1608ねん) in modern Japanese. Browse the full timeline to see where this year sits in the wider arc, or the 17th century for its neighbours.