Official

By the way, the solar calendar was adopted in Japan in 1872 (Meiji 5). At that time, the government announced that "December 3 will be January 1, 1873 in the new calendar (solar calendar).

old calendar was based on the phases of the moon. The cycle is about 29.5 days. A month is a calendar of one year by combining the 29th month and the 30th month.

The lunar calendar was used to adjust the gap between the calendar and the season by adding the month called "leap month" to 13 months.

The Great Moon: 1,3,4,6,8,11
Small Month: 2,5,7,9,10,12

In the Edo era, the moon on the 30th was called the large moon, and the moon on the 29th was called the small moon, and the large and small calendar with only the moon was indispensable for daily life. It was very important for people to know the large and small arrangement of the moon or leap months every year because there were many hangings and payments at the end of the month.

The Great Moon: 2,4,8,10,11,12
Small Month: 1,3,5,6,7,9

At first glance, the picture calendar, which depicts a large moon in a picture or sentence, looks like a normal picture, but it is actually a practical calendar, competing for ideas and sense of humor, and it became popular during the Edo period .

The large and small calendar, which began in practical use, showed uniqueness in the design, and gradually became a noble play.

◆National Diet Library
(Danjuro) Culture 14 Years Ox (1817) Large and small calendar
(rice cake making Rabbit) Keio 3rd year (1867) Large and small calendar