What are the old Japanese units like shaku?

The Shakkanhō (尺貫法) is the traditional Japanese system of measurement. The name shakkanhō originates from the name of two of the units, the shaku, a unit of length, and the kan, a unit of weight.

This system of units originated in China in the 13th century BC, and stablized in the 10th century BC. The units spread from China to Japan, South East Asia, and Korea. The units were adopted in Japan in 701.

In 1924, the shakkanhō system was replaced by the metric system, and the old units were forbidden for official purposes after 31 March 1966. However, the old system is still used. For example, sake bottles come in sizes which are multiples of the old units. In carpentry, chisels are manufactured in sizes of sun and bu. Bathrooms are built in sizes which are fractions of a tsubo, usually either 3/4, 1, or 1 1/4 of a tsubo, and land is sold on the basis of price in tsubo.

There are several different versions of the shakkanhō. The tables below give the one in common use in the Edo period.

Length

See also the FAQ's length converter.

The basis of length measurements is the shaku. The other units are fractions or multiples of it.

Various different shaku developed for various purposes. The unit now most widely recognized as a shaku in Japan is the kanejaku (曲尺), shaku, the system shown in the table below. Kanejaku means "carpenter's square", and this shaku is the one used by Japanese carpenters.

The kujirajaku (鯨尺), literally "whale shaku", was a standard used in the clothing industry. The name "whale shaku" comes from the measuring rulers used, which were made from baleen. A kujirajaku is 1 1/4 the length of a kanejaku.

As well as the kanejaku and kujirajaku system, various other shaku systems also exist, for example the gofukujaku (呉服尺), where gofuku means traditional Japanese clothes, such as kimonos. In this system, one shaku is 1.2 times what it is in the kanejaku system.

In 1891, the lengths of the two most common shaku were defined in terms of the metric system:

1891 definitions	Kanji	Metric value	Imperial equivalent
1 kanejaku	曲尺	10/33 m	11.93 in
1 kujirajaku	鯨尺	25/66 m	14.9 in

The names of these units also live on in the name of the bamboo flute shakuhachi (尺八), literally "shaku eight", which is one shaku and eight sun in length, and the Japanese story Issun Bōshi (一寸法師), literally "one sun boy".

Unit	Kanji	Relative value	Metric value	Imperial value	Notes
mō	毛, 毫	1/1000 sun	0.03030 mm	0.001193 in
rin	厘	1/100 sun	0.3030 mm	0.01193 in
bu	分	1/10 sun	3.030 mm	0.1193 in
sun	寸	10 bu, 1/10 shaku	3.030 cm	1.193 in
shaku	尺	10 sun	30.30 cm	11.93 in
ken	間	6 shaku	1.818 m	71.57 in
hiro	尋	6 shaku	1.818 m	71.57 in	A unit of depth
jō	丈	10 shaku	3.030 m	119.3 in
chō	町	60 ken	109 m	358 ft
ri	里	36 chō	3.927 km	2.44 miles

The smallest units, mō, rin, and bu, are actually the names of fractions, 1/1000, 1/100, and 1/10, respectively, which are also used as fractional units.

Area

Unit	Kanji	Equivalent value	Metric value	Imperial	Notes
1 shaku	勺	1/10 gō	330.58 cm²	51.24 in²
1 gō	合	1/10 tsubo	0.33058 m²	512.4 in²
1 tsubo	坪	1 square ken	3.3058 m²	35.584 ft²	Used in construction etc.
1 bu	歩	1 square ken	3.3058 m²	35.584 ft²	Used in agriculture.
1 se	畝	30 tsubo 3,000 go	99.1736 m²	1067.50 ft²
1 tan	段, 反	10 se	991.736 m²	0.2451 acres
1 chō or chōbu	町	10 tan	9,917.36 m²	2.4506 acres

Volume

Unit	Kanji	Equivalent value	Metric value	U.S. equivalents	Imperial equivalents	Notes
shaku	勺		18.039 ml	0.6100 fluid ounces	0.6349 fl oz
gō	合	10 shaku	180.39 ml	6.100 fl oz	6.349 fl oz	A serving of sake or a measure of rice.
shō	升	10 gō	2401/1331 litres (exactly) 1.8039 litres	61.00 fl oz	63.49 fl oz	A common size for sake bottles.
to	斗	10 shō	18.039 litres	4.77 gallons	3.968 gallons
koku	石	10 to	180.39 litres	47.65 gallons	39.68 gallons	Originally based on the volume of rice eaten by one person in one year

Weight

Unit	Kanji	Equivalent value	Metric value	Notes
1 fun	分		375 mg
1 momme	匁	10 fun	3.75 g
hyakume	百目	100 momme	375 g	Hyakume means "100 me"
1 kin	斥	160 momme	600 g
1 kan or kanme	貫, 貫目	1,000 momme	3.75 kg

Other units

Apart from shakkanhō and the metric system, inches are used for bicycle tyre sizes, in the electronics industry, and for sizes of television screens, and photographic prints.

Because inches are not a legally recognized unit in Japan, instead of writing the word "inch", Japanese companies substitute "-gata" (型). Thus, a 17 inch television is described as a jū nana gata (17型).

The "kilocalorie" unit, in the form karorii (カロリー), is also used, and even has its own symbol, ㌍.

External links

Japanese Cooking Measurements at AccessJ explains the difference between the usual measuring cups and Japanese rice cooker cups.

If you have questions, corrections, or comments, please contact Ben Bullock or use the discussion forum / Privacy policy


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