An'ei

Change of era

• 1772 An'ei gannen: The era name was changed to An'ei to mark the enthronement of Emperor Go-Momozono and in hopes of turning attention from the serial catastrophic devastation from fires and storms in Meiwa 9. The previous era ended and a new one commenced in the 11th month of Meiwa 9.

  Events of the ''An'ei'' era

• 1775 : Epidemic diseases spread across the country - in Edo alone, an estimated 190,000 perished.
• 1775 : Swedish physician and botanist Carl Peter Thunberg arrives at VOC outpost or "factory" in Nagasaki bay; and ultimately, his scientific activities will result in the first detailed, descriptive survey of the flora and fauna of the Japanese archipelago.
• 1778 : Kyoto suffers a massive flood.
• 1778 : Volcanic island of Sakurajima erupts one mile away from Kagoshima - 16,000 dead.
• 1779 : Dutch surgeon and cultural-anthropologist Isaac Titsingh arrives at Dejima for the first of three terms as Opperhoofd or captain of the VOC station; and ultimately, his seminal research will become a noteworthy step in that process in which the Japanese begin to describe and characterize themselves in their own terms. Titsingh's correspondence with William Marsden, a philologist colleague in the Royal Society in London, provides some insight into his personal appreciation of the task at hand. In an 1809 letter, he explains:
• 1780 : Heavy rains and floods in the Kantō necessitate extensive government relief in the flood-stricken areas.