Genbun
/ˈɡɛn.bʊn/noun
A Japanese era name used from 1736 to 1741 during the Edo period.
Did you know?Genbun was a Japanese nengō, a calendrical era name selected by the court and used on official documents, coins, and dates instead of—or alongside—Western-style year numbers.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
元文
“The characters 元, meaning “origin” or “beginning,” and 文, meaning “writing,” “culture,” or “civilization.””
Early Japanese usage
Sino-Japanese
genbun
“The Sino-Japanese reading of 元文, formed from Chinese-derived vocabulary used in formal and calendrical language.”
1736
Japanese
元文（Genbun）
“Adopted as the new nengō, or era name, under Emperor Sakuramachi.”
1736–1741
Edo Japanese
Genbun
“The official name for a six-year period in Tokugawa Japan; dates, decrees, and minted money could bear the era designation.”
Modern English
English
Genbun
“A historical Japanese era name, typically used in English-language writing about the Edo period.”