Shakkan-hō (尺貫法, Shakkan-hō?) is the traditional Japanese system of measurement. The name shakkanhō originates from the name of two of the units, the shaku, a length measurement, and the kan, a mass measurement. Jump to: navigation, search // The metric system Metric systems of units have evolved since the adoption of the first well-defined system in France in 1791. ...

The system is Chinese in origin. The units originated in the Shang Dynasty in the 13th century BC, and eventually stablized in the Zhou Dynasty in the 10th century BC and spread from there to Japan, South East Asia, and Korea. The units of the Tang Dynasty were officially adopted in Japan in 701, and the current shaku measurement has hardly altered since then. Jump to: navigation, search Shang Dynasty (Chinese: 商朝) or Yin Dynasty (殷代) (1600 BC - 1046 BC) is the first historic Chinese dynasty and ruled in the northeastern region of China proper. ... This bronze ritual wine vessel, dating from the Shang Dynasty in the 13th century BC, is housed at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution. ... The Zhou Dynasty (周朝; Wade-Giles: Chou Dynasty) (late 10th century BC or 9th century BC to 256 BC) followed the Shang (Yin) Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty in China. ... Jump to: navigation, search (11th century BC - 10th century BC - 9th century BC - other centuries) (1000s BC - 990s BC - 980s BC - 970s BC - 960s BC - 950s BC - 940s BC - 930s BC - 920s BC - 910s BC - 900s BC - other decades) (3rd millennium BC - 2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC) Events Partition... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Jump to: navigation, search Korea refers to South Korea and North Korea together, which were a unified country until 1948. ... Jump to: navigation, search Also the name of a rock band. ...

From 1924, the shakkanhō system was replaced by the metric system, and use of the old units for official purposes was forbidden after 31st March 1966. However, in several instances the old system is still used. In carpentry and agriculture use of the old fashioned terms is common. Japanese chisels are manufactured in sizes of sun and bu. Modern Japanese bathrooms are built in sizes which are fractions of a tsubo, usually either 3/4, 1, or 1 1/4 of a tsubo and land is sold on the basis of price in tsubo. The 2005 Japanese census allowed people to give the area of their houses in either square metres or tsubo. Jump to: navigation, search Japanese carpentry is distinguished by the use of a different set of tools and techniques to European carpentry. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Japanese chisel or nomi (Japanese: é‘¿ or のみ) is made on similar principles to the Japanese plane. ...

There are several different versions of the shakkanhō. The tables below show the one in common use in the Edo period. The Edo period (江戸時代, Edo-jidai) is a division of Japanese history running from 1600 to 1867. ...

Length

The basis of the shakkanhō length measurements is the shaku, which originated in ancient China. The other units are all fixed fractions or multiples of this basic unit. The shaku was originally the length from the thumb to the middle finger, about 18cm, but its length, and hence the length of the other units, gradually increased, since the length of the unit was related to the level of taxation.

Various different shaku developed for various purposes. The unit now most widely recognized as a shaku in Japan is the kanejaku (曲尺, kanejaku?), shaku, the system shown in the table below. Kanejaku means "carpenter's square", and this shaku was the one used by Japanese carpenters. The carpenter's shaku, used for construction, preserved the original Chinese shaku measure, because it was never interfered with, whereas the other shaku systems, which were used for taxation or trade, were interfered with in order to increase taxation, and hence gradually varied from the original value. Jump to: navigation, search Japanese carpentry is distinguished by the use of a different set of tools and techniques to European carpentry. ...

The kujirajaku (鯨尺, kujirajaku?), literally "whale shaku", was a standard used in the clothing industry. The name "whale shaku" comes from the measuring rulers used, which were made from whale whisker. A kujirajaku is 1 1/4 the length of a kanejaku.

As well as the kanejaku and kujirajaku system, various other shaku systems also exist, for example the gofukujaku (呉服尺), where gofuku means traditional Japanese clothes, such as kimonos. In the gofukujaku system, one shaku is equal to 1.2 times the kanejaku's shaku.

In 1891, the lengths of the two most common shaku were defined in terms of the metric system:

Shaku units are still used for construction materials in Japan. For example, plywood is usually manufactured in 182cm X 91cm sheets known in the trade as saburokuhan (３×６版, saburokuhan?), or 3x6 shaku. Each sheet is about the size of one tatami mat. The thicknesses of the sheets, however, are usually measured in millimetres. Jump to: navigation, search 1891 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Japanese writing Kanji 漢字 Kana 仮名 Hiragana 平仮名 Katakana 片仮名 Uses Furigana 振り仮名 Okurigana 送り仮名 Romaji ローマ字 Category Kanji (漢字 â–¶(?), literally Han characters) is the name of Chinese characters in the Japanese language. ... Jump to: navigation, search The metre or (in American English) meter (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... Tatami mats (畳) (originally meant folded and piled) are a traditional Japanese flooring. ...

The names of these units also live on in the name of the bamboo flute shakuhachi (尺八, shakuhachi?), literally "shaku eight", which is one shaku and eight sun in length, and the Japanese version of Tom Thumb, Issun Bōshi (一寸法師, Issun Bōshi?), literally "one sun boy", as well as in many Japanese proverbs. Jump to: navigation, search A shakuhachi, showing its utaguchi (blowing edge) and inlay The shakuhachi (尺八 in Japanese, pronounced /shakoo-hatchee/) is a Japanese end-blown flute which is held vertically like a recorder instead of being held transversely like the familiar Western transverse flute. ... Jump to: navigation, search A shakuhachi, showing its utaguchi (blowing edge) and inlay The shakuhachi (尺八 in Japanese, pronounced /shakoo-hatchee/) is a Japanese end-blown flute which is held vertically like a recorder instead of being held transversely like the familiar Western transverse flute. ... The one-inch boy is the subject of a fairy tale from Japan. ... The one-inch boy is the subject of a fairy tale from Japan. ... Japanese proverbs include 四字熟語 (Yojijukugo Four-character idioms), ことわざ (Kotowaza proverbs) and 慣用句 (Kanyōku Common idioms). ...

The Shōsōin in Nara has an ivory one-shaku ruler, the kōgebachiru-no-shaku (紅牙撥鏤尺, kōgebachiru-no-shaku?). Jump to: navigation, search The Shōsōin (正倉院) is a structure at Tōdai-ji in Nara, Japan. ... Jump to: navigation, search Nara (Japanese: 奈良市, Nara-shi) is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan, near Kyoto. ...

The smallest units, mō, rin, and bu, are actually the names of fractions, 1/1,000, 1/100, and 1/10, respectively, which are also used as fractional units. A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... The metre, or meter (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... The metre, or meter (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... Jump to: navigation, search A fathom is a non-SI unit of length. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ...

Area

The tsubo, which is essentially the area of two tatami mats, is still commonly used in discussing land pricing in Japan. The larger units are also commonly used by Japanese farmers for discussing the sizes of fields, perhaps because most farmers in Japan are members of the older generation. Tatami mats (畳) (originally meant folded and piled) are a traditional Japanese flooring. ...

Jump to: navigation, search A square metre (US spelling: square meter) is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 metre long. ... Jump to: navigation, search A square metre (US spelling: square meter) is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 metre long. ... For the municipality in Sweden, see Ã…re; for the boroughtown and rural municipality in Estonia see Are; for the language from Papua New Guinea see Are For the ARE see either Arab Republic of Egypt or Association for Research and Enlightenment An are (symbol a) is a unit of area. ... A hectare (symbol ha) is a metric unit of area. ...

Volume

1891 definition
shō = 2401/1331 litre (l) The litre (spelled liter in American English) is a unit of volume. ...

These old-fashioned units are still used, for example, in sake production. Jump to: navigation, search Sake barrels at Itsukushima Shrine Sake (é…’; pronounced IPA: SAH-KEH in Japanese, but often IPA: SAH-ki by English speakers) is a Japanese alcoholic beverage, brewed from rice. ...

The millilitre (spelled milliliter in American English and German) is a metric unit of volume that is equal to one thousandth of a litre. ... The millilitre (spelled milliliter in American English and German) is a metric unit of volume that is equal to one thousandth of a litre. ... Jump to: navigation, search Sake barrels at Itsukushima Shrine Sake (é…’; pronounced IPA: SAH-KEH in Japanese, but often IPA: SAH-ki by English speakers) is a Japanese alcoholic beverage, brewed from rice. ... The litre (spelled liter in American English) is a unit of volume. ... Jump to: navigation, search Sake barrels at Itsukushima Shrine Sake (é…’; pronounced IPA: SAH-KEH in Japanese, but often IPA: SAH-ki by English speakers) is a Japanese alcoholic beverage, brewed from rice. ... Jump to: navigation, search A koku (石) is a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year, then as 180. ... A hectolitre (hL or hl) is volume measure and a metric unit equal to 100 litres, or 10−1 m3. ... Jump to: navigation, search The cubic metre (symbol m³) is the SI derived unit of volume. ...

Mass

1891 definition
1 momme = 15/4 gram (g) Jump to: navigation, search The gram or gramme, symbol g, is a unit of mass. ...

The Japanese unit of mass, momme, is a recognized unit in the international pearl industry.

The milligram (symbol mg) is an SI unit of mass. ... Jump to: navigation, search The gram or gramme, symbol g, is a unit of mass. ... Jump to: navigation, search The international prototype, made of platinum-iridium, which is kept at the BIPM under conditions specified by the 1st CGPM in 1889. ...

Money

The names of old money live on in Japanese proverbs such as haya oki wa san mon no toku, literally "Waking early gets you three mon", in other words "Early to bed, early to rise". Japanese proverbs include 四字熟語 (Yojijukugo Four-character idioms), ことわざ (Kotowaza proverbs) and 慣用句 (Kanyōku Common idioms). ...

Other Japanese units

Apart from shakkanhō and the metric system, other units are also commonly used in Japan. The most common unit found is the inch. Japanese bicycles are based on a British system, and the tyre sizes are measured in inches rather than centimetres. Inch sizes are also commonly used in the computer industry for the sizes of parts, connectors, and semiconductor wafers, and inches and feet are used for the width and length of magnetic tape. Inches are also used for the size of television screens. However, because inches are not a legally recognized unit in Japan, instead of writing the word "inch," Japanese companies substitute "-gata" (型). Thus, a television with a 17 in diagonal measure is described as 17型. Jump to: navigation, search This racing bicycle is built using lightweight, shaped aluminium tubing and carbon fiber stays and forks. ... Jump to: navigation, search Firestone tire A tire (U.S. spelling) or tyre (UK spelling) is a roughly toroidal piece of material placed on the circumference of a wheel, either for the purpose of cushioning or to protect the wheel from wear and tear. ... Semiconductor devices are electronic components that exploit the electronic properties of semiconductor materials, principally silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide. ... Jump to: navigation, search An etched silicon wafer In microelectronics, a wafer is a thin slice of semiconducting material, such as a silicon crystal, upon which microcircuits are constructed by doping (for example, diffusion or ion implantation), etching, and deposition of various materials. ... Magnetic tape is a non-volatile storage medium consisting of a magnetisable coating on a thin plastic strip. ...

References

• The current Japanese law on measurement (in Japanese) [1]
• Japanese units (in Japanese)

See also

• History of measurement
• Units of measurement
• Chinese unit
• Metrication
• Japanese counter word