Daily Timekeeping

As with timekeeping throughout the rest of the world, one must go far back in history to understand the timekeeping system which was adapted to Japanese Wadokei.

Measuring time originated in Babylonia before 4000 BCE.  The Babylonians first measured hours with a simple stick in the ground, which they later developed with a gnomon (an upright post parallel to the world’s axis, obtained by pointing it to the stationary North Star) inside a scalloped stone.  The shadow of the gnomon was cast against a scale that divided the day into six daylight hours – there being no night-time shadows!   Night hours were determined by stars or the moon, and similarly divided into six hours.  This system based on the length of daylight from dawn to dusk spread west to the early Egyptian, Greek and Roman Civilisations, and east to the Indus Valley (India), Huang He (China) and Mongol Civilisations.

With the spread of the teachings and principles of Buddha (563 BC – 483BC) the eastern nations (now Greater Asia) adopted the twelve animals which Buddha observed each of the twelve hours of the day from under the Bho tree during his years of meditation. The order of the twelve animals was also used to count the years and the seasons and eventually adopted for other spiritual beliefs.

The animal names given to the twelve hours also adopted by the Japanese are:

• Mid-night – when the Rat is most active.
• Early hours of night – when the Ox is chewing the cud.
• Late hours of night – when the Tiger is prowling and seeking food.
• Sunrise – when the Hare and the Rabbit are busy foraging for food.
• Early morning – when the divine Dragon rises to control the rain (the dawn sunrise determining the day’s weather).
• Mid-morning – when the Snake becomes active.
• Mid-day – when the Horse cavalry return from drill.
• Early-afternoon – when the Sheep is eating grass.
• Mid-afternoon – when the Monkey becomes active hunting scraps.
• Late-afternoon – when the Cock returns from the forest to roost.
• Early-evening – when the Dog keeps watch.
• Late-evening – when everything is quiet and the Pig or Boar forages.

Early Japanese Timekeeping

The time system in Japan is recorded as being initiated on the Japanese date equivalent of 25 April 671.  By the present solar calendar this date is 10 June and is commemorated to this day as “Time Day”.  This date corresponds to a water clock that was constructed and installed in the Imperial Palace in Otsu.  The time bell and drum marked the hours in accordance with this water clock, enabling people to know the time.

The Japanese day was divided into twelve toki (hours), which had been used from the earliest antiquity. The daylight toki would start when it was light enough to work and was determined when it was light enough to see three lines on the palm of one’s hand. It should be noted that the terms ‘sunrise’ and ‘sunset’ were not used because the Japanese counted twilight within the working day.  Also, very few Japanese people could observe both the sunrise and sunset as the country is so mountainous.

Other primitive timekeepers were also used in Japan with sun dials, plus ‘fuel’ clocks of oil, candles, incense and burning knotted ropes which were all burned to measure time.

Unlike Europeans whose lifestyles were significantly changed by the introduction of mechanical clocks and time measurement, the impact of mechanical clocks was not significant to the Japanese.  Traditional Japanese long periods of hard work, honesty and servitude were generally unaffected.

(Note: Western time up until the early 1400’s also used temporal time – i.e. throughout the Egyptian, Greek and Roman periods, as well as medieval periods.  It was only the introduction of employer / employee working arrangements which could be applied consistently throughout the year that encouraged the adoption of the 24 hour system throughout Europe.  The Italians retained temporal time through to Napolean times – and even thereafter.)

Alternative Edo Period Division of the Day

Another Japanese time system was known as rokuji, which meant literally “six hours” (i.e. roku – 6 and ji – hours).  In this system each day was divided into the following six periods:

1. Shincho – morning
2. Nitchu – afternoon
3. Nichibotsu – evening
4. Shoya – early night
5. Chuya – midnight or Hanya – “half night”
6. Koya – after night

According to some sources, this system was derived from the Buddhist religious practice of praying to Amida, at six intervals throughout the day, a practice which was known as rokuji no raisan and literally means “to pay homage at the six hours”