Genroku was a Japanese era name after Jōkyō and before Hōei. This period spanned the years from ninth month of 1688 through third month of 1704. The reigning emperor was Emperor Higashiyama.
The years of Genroku are generally considered to be the Golden Age of the Edo period. The previous hundred years of peace and seclusion in Japan had created relative economic stability. The arts and architecture flourished. There were unanticipated consequences when the shogunate debased the quality of coins as a strategy for financing the appearance of continuing Genroku affluence. This strategic miscalculation caused abrupt inflation. Then, in an effort to solve the ensuing crisis, the bakufu introduced what were called the Kyōhō Reforms.
Change of era
Genroku gannen; 1688: The new era name was created to mark the beginning of the reign of Higashiyama. The previous era ended and the new one commenced in Jōkyō 5, on the 30th day of the 9th month.
A sense of optimism is suggested in the era name choice of Genroku.
1693 : Arai Hakuseki becomes tutor to the daimyō of Kōfu-han, the futureshōgun Tokugawa Ienobu.
1693 : The code of conduct for funerals is revised again.
1695 : Land survey performed of territory under the direct control of the bakufu in Kantō.
1695 : Minting begun of Genroku coinage. The shogunate placed the Japanese charactergen on the obverse of copper coins, the same character used today in China for the yuan. There is no connection between those uses, however.
1695 : First kennel is established for stray dogs in Edo. In this context, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi comes to be nicknamed "the Dog Shogun"
1697 : The fourth official map of Japan was made in this year, but it was considered to be inferior to the previous one—which had been ordered in Shōhō 1 and completed in Kan'ei 16. This Genroku map was corrected in Kyōhō 4 by the mathematician Tatebe Katahiro, using high mountain peaks as points of reference, and was drawn to a scale of 1:21,600.
1697 : Great fire in Edo. Five-storied Pagoda
1698 : Another great fire in Edo. A new hall is constructed inside the enclosure of the Edo temple of Kan'ei-ji.
December 31, 1703 : The Great Genroku earthquake shook Edo and parts of the shogun's castle collapsed. The following day, a vast fire spread throughout the city. Parts of Honshū's coast were battered by tsunami, and up to 200,000 people were either killed or injured.
