What distance measurement was used in feudal Japan?
Question:
What distance measurement was used in feudal Japan?
Treaty of the Metre:
Japan signed the Treaty of the Metre in 1885, officially moving Japan to the use of the metric system. Written in 1875, the treaty was initially an international agreement between seventeen European and American nations plus Turkey. Since its initial conception, the agreement has been signed by many more countries around the world besides Japan.
Answer and Explanation:
Although Japan uses the metric system today, and began to do so during the Meiji Restoration in 1868, during feudal times, their system of measurement was called the shakkanho and was based off of the Chinese measurement system. For length, the Japanese based measurements on the shaku, which was equivalent to 33 centimeters in length. In regards to measuring area, the Japanese used the tsubo, which equated to thirty-six shaku squared. Although the metric system is mainly used in modern Japan, the shaku and tsubo are still used in traditional construction and carpentry. The measurement for volume was called sho, and was equivalent to one serving size of sake or rice. The last form of measurement was for mass. This was called kan, which was equivalent to 3,750.00 grams.
Learn more about this topic:
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Chapter 12 / Lesson 2The Middle Ages in Japan was a period of great changes across religion, government, and class structure. Examine the changes in beliefs and rulers along with the many reforms that occurred between pre-feudal Japan and feudal Japan.