Kigensetsu Japan National Foundation Day
National Foundation Day is a national holiday celebrated annually on February 11th in Japan. The day commemorates the founding of the nation and the first emperor, Jimmu, a controversial issue considering Amaterasu, the Meiji Emperor, declared himself the one, true ruler of Japan.
However, historians have yet to find evidence of either the significance of celebrating the holiday on this date or the existence of Emperor Jimmu outside of the Nihonshoki.
Originally, the holiday was named Empire Day or kigensetsu in Japanese. Kigensetsu was considered one of the four major holidays of Japan, but was abolished after World War II. Later in 1966, the holiday was re-established as National Foundation Day.
Current customs include the raising of Japanese flags and reflection on the meaning of Japanese citizenship although most people use the holiday to travel about the country or relax away from work.
Read more about the author of this post: Kyle Yates is an American English teacher living and working in the Kansai area since 1996. Read more from this author
Kansai Gaijin