NOTE

In feudal Japan days were divided into twelve periods, six for day and six for night. The lengths of the periods were adjusted to the seasons but generally coincided with two of our hours. Each “hour” was named:

Midnight to 2:00 A.M.—the hour of the Rat
2:00 A.M. to 4:00 A.M.—the hour of the Ox
4:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M.—the hour of the Tiger
6:00 A.M. to 8:00 A.M.—the hour of the Hare
8:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M.—the hour of the Dragon
10:00 A.M. to noon—the hour of the Snake
Noon to 2:00 P.M.—the hour of the Horse
2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.—the hour of the Ram
4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.—the hour of the Monkey
6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.—the hour of the Cock
8:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M.—the hour of the Dog
10:00 P.M. to midnight—the hour of the Boar

The hours were often marked by the ringing of the temple bells. Midnight began the “ninth” time, 2:00 A.M. the “eighth” time, 4:00 A.M. the “seventh” time, until the end of the “fourth” time at noon when the series started again.

In this story, units of time are measured by the old Japanese system. Two and a half hours, therefore, would be about equal to five of our hours. The first quarter of the hour of the Rat would be 12:30 A.M.

Distance was measured in ri, which equaled about 2.44 miles. A cho was about 352 feet. Because a shaku measured just over eleven and a half inches, the English term foot has been used to indicate that length.

THE TKAID ROAD c. 1702

JAPAN