was a after Kaō and before Angen. This period spanned the years from April 1171 through July 1175.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Jō-an" in ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, see . The reigning emperor was .Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du Japon, pp. 195-200; Brown, Delmer et al. (1979). Gukanshō, pp. 330-333; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki. pp. 212-214.
Change of era 1171 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. The previous era ended and a new one commenced in Kaō 3, on the 21st day of the 4th month of 1171.Brown, p. 332.
Events of the Jōan era 1172 (Jōan 1, 3rd day of the 1st month): The emperor had attained the age of 11 years; accordingly, the hair on his head was shaved as a sign of his coming of age.Titsingh, p. 196; Brown, 331. 1171 (Jōan 1, 13th day of the 1st month): The young emperor made a visit to the home of former-Emperor Go-Shirakawa, where he first met Tiara-no Tokoku, the adopted daughter of Go-Shirakawa and the actual daughter of Taira no Kiomori. He accepted the 15-year-old girl as one of his consorts, and she moved into his palace.Titsingh, p. 196. 1171 (Jōan 2, 10th day of the 2nd month): Taira Kiyomori's daughter, Tokuko, becomes Emperor Takakura's his secondary empress (chūgo).Kitagawa, H. (1975). The Tale of the Heike, p. 783; Titsingh, p. 197. 1172 (Jōan 2, 10th month): Takakura visited the Fushimi Inari-taisha and the Yasaka Shrine.Titsingh, p. 197. 1172 (Jōan 2, 12th month): Matsu motofusa ceased to be regent (sesshō) and daijō-daijin; and he obtained the office of kampaku.Titsingh, p. 197; Brown, p. 331. 1173 (Jōan 3, 1st day of the 4th month): Shinran, founder of Jodo Shinshu, was born and named Matsuwakamaro 1173 (Jōan 3, 4th month): The emperor visited the Iwashimizu Shrine and the Kamo Shrines. 1173 (Jōan 3, 10th month): The emperor's mother, Ken-shun-mon In, founded the Saishōkō Cloister, which was consecrated at a dedication ceremony in which she was a participant.Titsingh, p. 197, Brown, p. 333. 1174 (Jōan 4, 1st month): The emperor made visits to his father and to his mother.
Notes
References Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979). Gukanshō: The Future and the Past. Berkeley: University of California Press. ; OCLC 251325323 Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ; OCLC 58053128 Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Nihon Odai Ichiran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. OCLC 5850691 Varley, H. Paul. (1980). A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chikafusa. New York: Columbia University Press. ; OCLC 6042764
External links National Diet Library, "The Japanese Calendar" -- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection