Editing Module:Hakuchi (era) (section)

==History==
The era began in 650, the sixth year of the ''[[Taika (era)|Taika]]'' era, which was thus known as {{nihongo|''Hakuchi gannen''|白雉元年|"Hakuchi start"}}.<ref name="b267">Brown, Delmer ''et al.''. (1979). '' Gukanshō'', p. 267.</ref>  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").<ref name="t49">Titsingh, [https://books.google.com/books?id=18oNAAAAIAAJ&dq=nipon+o+dai+itsi+ran&pg=PP9  p. 49.]</ref>

In Japan, this was the second [[nengō]],<ref name="nussbaum280"/> derived from the [[Chinese era name|Chinese system of eras]] (''[[nianhao]]'');<ref>Nussbaum, "''Taika''" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|p. 924|page=9247}}</ref> although some scholarly doubt has been cast on the authenticity of ''Taika'' and ''Hakuchi'' as historically legitimate era names.<ref>Bialock, David T. (2007). {{Google books|kfWvoVERWREC|Eccentric Spaces, Hidden Histories: Narrative, Ritual, and Royal Authority from the Chronicles of Japan to the Tale of the Heike|page=56}}; excerpt at p. 57, "Whether the era name of ''Taika'' and ''Hakuchi'' are viewed as evidence of an actual precedent set by Kōtoku or as the work of chroniclers belonging to a later reign around the time of ''Nihon Shoki''{{'}}s editing, the practice of assigning era names inaugurated a new phase in the consolidation of the court's expanding political power."</ref>

===Timeline===
{{Timelines of nengo and reigns}}
The system of Japanese era names was not the same as [[List of Emperors of Japan|Imperial reign dates]].