was a after Jōkyō and before Hōei. The Genroku period spanned the years from September 1688 to March 1704. The reigning emperor was .

The period was known for its peace and prosperity, as the previous hundred years of peace and seclusion in Japan had created relative economic stability. The arts and architecture flourished. There were unanticipated consequences when the shogunate debased the quality of coins as a strategy for financing the appearance of continuing Genroku affluence. This strategic miscalculation caused abrupt inflation. Then, in an effort to solve the ensuing crisis, the introduced what were called the Kyōhō Reforms.

Change of era

The was 1688. The new era name was created to mark the beginning of the reign of Higashiyama. The previous era ended and the new one commenced in Jōkyō 5, on the 30th day of the 9th month.

A sense of optimism is suggested in the era name choice of Genroku (meaning "original happiness").

Events of the Genroku era

thumb|A [[bixi (tortoise)|turtle-based stele of Ikeda Mitsunaka, a Tottori Domain ruler, dated Genroku 6]]

  • 1688 (Genroku 1, 1st month): Ihara Saikaku publishes Japan's Eternal Treasury.
  • 1688 (Genroku 1, 11th month): Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu assumes the office of
  • 1688 (Genroku 1): The Tokugawa shogunate revised the code of conduct for funerals (), which incorporated a code of conduct for mourning as well.
  • 1689 (Genroku 2, 4th month): Foreign settlements in Nagasaki become possible.
  • September 16, 1689 (Genroku 2, 3rd day of the 7th month)<!-- NengoCalc:

元禄二年八月三日 -->: German physician Engelbert Kaempfer arrives at Dejima.

  • 1690 (Genroku 3, 10th month): The Abandoned Child Ban was officially proclaimed.
  • 1692 (Genroku 5): Building of temples in Edo banned.
  • 1693 (Genroku 6, 12th month): Arai Hakuseki becomes tutor to the of Kōfu-, the future Tokugawa Ienobu.
  • 1693 (Genroku 6): The code of conduct for funerals is revised again.
  • 1695 (Genroku 8, 2nd month): Land survey performed of territory under the direct control of the in Kantō.
  • 1695 (Genroku 8, 8th month): Minting begun of Genroku coinage. The shogunate placed the Japanese character on the obverse of copper coins, the same character used today in China for the . There is no connection between those uses, however.
  • 1697 (Genroku 10): Great fire in Edo. The following day, a vast fire spread throughout the city.