There are several methods for tracking time in Rokugan, with two calendar systems for tracking years, the Imperial Right as used in official records by the court, and the more common Isawa Calendar. Each is detailed below.
The Imperial Right is used in official records, recording events by the year of an Emperor's reign, with months named after Kami. [1]
The Isawa Calendar measures the passage of years beginning with the Fall of the Kami, an event which defined the year 1. Each successive year since the Fall of the Kami counts up from year 1. Months are named after common animals, with local variations existing for some months. [1:1]
The system has been widely adopted throughout Rokugan, as it provides a more accessible context than the system of Imperial Right. Some say that Isawa initially created this system to mark some other occasion during the year the Kami fell from the Heavens. [1:2]
Spring is for sowing, summer is for waging war, fall is for the harvest, and winter was for politics. [2] Winter is harsh in Rokugan, and battles could not be fought in the bitter cold and impassable snow. [3] Bathing its landscapes in a sea of snow, hampering agriculture, trade, and travel. While farmers and merchants took refuge from the cold in their homes, the aristocratic elite took part in the time-honored tradition of the annual Winter Court, the most important social event in Rokugan. [4]
The Rokugani months are named after the Kami, such as the Kami Akodo, [5] Doji, Bayushi, [6] or Shiba. [7] In the Isawa Calendar months have a common animal name, such as the ox, hare, rooster, [8] dog, or tiger. [9]
| Isawa | Imperial Right | Other Names | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hare | Lady Sun, Amaterasu | - | Spring |
| Dragon | Lord Moon, Onnotangu | Turtle | Spring |
| Serpent | Hantei | Snake | Spring |
| Horse | Akodo | - | Summer |
| Goat | Doji | Sheep | Summer |
| Monkey | Shiba | - | Summer |
| Rooster | Bayushi | Crane | Autumn |
| Dog | Shinjo | - | Autumn |
| Boar | Hida | - | Autumn |
| Rat | Togashi | - | Winter |
| Ox | Fu Leng | - | Winter |
| Tiger | The Tenth Kami (Ryoshun) | - | Winter |
The day in Rokugan was divided into twelve hours. The hours follow the naming convention as the months (above), proceeding through the names of constellations. The day in Rokugan begins with the Hour of the Hare, at dawn (6 AM). [10]
| Name | Starting Hour | Ending Hour | Day/Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hare | 6AM | 8AM | Day |
| Dragon | 8AM | 10AM | Day |
| Serpent | 10AM | 12PM | Day |
| Horse | 12PM | 2PM | Day |
| Goat | 2PM | 4PM | Day |
| Monkey | 4PM | 6PM | Day |
| Rooster | 6PM | 8PM | Night |
| Dog | 8PM | 10PM | Night |
| Boar | 10PM | 12AM | Night |
| Rat | 12AM | 2AM | Night |
| Ox | 2AM | 4AM | Night |
| Tiger | 4AM | 6AM | Night |
Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 11 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Winter's Embrace, p. 2 ↩︎
Legend of the Five Rings - Roleplaying, p. 9 ↩︎
Courts of Stone, p. 18 ↩︎
Court Games (The Chrysanthemum Throne fiction), by D. G. Laderoute ↩︎
Heart of the Garden, by Edward Bolme ↩︎
Shadowlands: The Essential Guide to the Dominion of Fu Leng, p. 4 ↩︎
Whispers of Shadow and Steel, by Mari Murdock ↩︎
Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 152 ↩︎
Emerald Empire: The Essential Guide to Rokugan, p. 28-29 ↩︎