Bunsei

Change of era

• April 22, 1818 : The new era name was created to mark the enthronement of the emperor Emperor Ninko in Bunka 15.

Events of the ''Bunsei'' era

• 1822 : Edo was struck with 150 earthquake tremors over three days.
• August 11, 1823 : German flora- and fauna-taxonomist Philipp Franz von Siebold arrives at Dejima as new physician for the Dutch trading post in Nagasaki harbor. Bakufu policy in this era was designed to marginalize the influence of foreigners in Bunsei Japan; however, an unintended and opposite consequence of sakoku was to enhance the value and significance of a very small number of thoughtful observers like von Siebold, whose writings document what he learned or discovered first-hand. Von Siebold's published accounts and unpublished writings provided a unique and useful perspective for Orientalists and Japanologists in the 19th century; and his work continues to be rigorously examined by modern researchers today.
• August 13, 1830 : Earthquake at Kyoto, no Richter Scale magnitude suggested by available data.