National Foundation Day

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National Foundation Day (建国記念日, kenkoku kinen-bi; also 建国記念の日, kenkoku kinen-no-hi) is a national holiday in Japan celebrated annually on February 11. On this day, Japanese celebrate the founding of the nation and the imperial line by its mythical first emperor, Jimmu.

[edit] History

Though celebration of the story of the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu stretches back into Japanese history, National Foundation Day did not become an official holiday until January 1873, when Japan switched from its lunisolar calendar to the Gregorian calendar. Japanese scholars used the Nihonshoki (日本書紀), to derive the exact date, February 11, 660 BC. However, it should be noted that historians have yet to find evidence of either the significance of this date or even the existence of Emperor Jimmu outside of the Nihonshoki.^[1]

In its original incarnation, the holiday was named Kigensetsu (紀元節, trans: Empire Day).^[2] It is thought that the Meiji Emperor may have established this holiday to bolster the legitimacy of the imperial family following the abolition of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Publicly linking his rule with the mythical first emperor, Jimmu, and thus Amaterasu, the Meiji Emperor declared himself the one, true ruler of Japan.^[3]

With large parades and festivals, in its time, Kigensetsu was considered one of the four major holidays of Japan.

Given its reliance on Shinto mythology and its reinforcement of the Japanese nobility, Kigensetsu was abolished following World War II. It was re-established as National Foundation Day in 1966. Though stripped of most of its overt references to the Emperor, National Foundation Day is still a day for expressing patriotism and love of the nation.^[2]

[edit] Current practice

Contrary to the importance of Kigensetsu, celebrations for National Foundation Day are relatively muted. Customs include the raising of Japanese flags and reflection on the meaning of Japanese citizenship. The holiday is still relatively controversial however, and very overt expressions of nationalism are rare.