The Famine of Kangi

Japanese: 寛喜の飢饉 - かんぎのききん

A nationwide famine that lasted for several years after 1230 (Kanki 2) in the Kamakura period. Although weather abnormalities and small famines had been occurring for several years, the beginning of this famine was the extremely cold weather in the summer of that year (snowfall in Mino, Shinano, and Musashi from late July to early August in the solar calendar) which led to a nationwide poor harvest in the fall. Conversely, the winter was unusually warm, causing the wheat to grow tall, resulting in a poor harvest in April the following year. As a result, many people died of starvation in the off-season from January to March in 1231, and the devastation continued from the wheat harvest (around April in the lunar calendar) until around July. In the fall of that year, the eastern provinces had a good harvest, but the western provinces had a poor harvest due to drought. In early summer in 1232 (the era name was changed to Joei in April in the hope of expelling disasters and bringing good fortune), the wheat harvest also decreased due to insufficient planting, and in the fall, the harvest was also poor due to a typhoon on August 8th, weakening social productivity and delaying recovery.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

鎌倉時代，1230年(寛喜2)以後数年間続いた全国的飢饉。数年前から気象の変異や小さな飢饉が起きていたが，この年夏の極端な寒冷気象(陽暦7月末から8月初めに美濃，信濃，武蔵で降雪)による秋の全国的大凶作が発端となった。冬は逆に異常な暖冬となったため麦が徒長し翌年4月の収穫期に凶作となり，そのため31年1～3月の端境期に餓死者が続出し，麦秋(陰暦4月ごろ)後7月ごろまで大惨状が展開した。この年の秋，東国は豊作となるが，西国は干ばつのため凶作となり，32年(4月に攘災招福を願い貞永と改元)初夏の麦も植えつけ不足で収穫減少し，秋も8月8日の台風のため凶作にみまわれ，社会的生産力は弱められ回復は遅れていった。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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