Historical Units

Shaku (尺)

Définition

Le shaku (尺) est une unité de longueur japonaise traditionnelle égale à 10/33 mètres, soit environ 30,303 cm, dérivé historiquement du chi chinois.

Explication

Japan adopted the Chinese measurement system and the character 尺, but the shaku diverged slightly from its Chinese counterpart. It was divided into 10 sun, with 6 shaku making one ken (the standard room width in traditional architecture). Japan officially abolished the shaku for trade in 1891, replacing it with metric, but it persists in carpentry, textiles, and traditional arts such as shakuhachi flute making (the instrument is named after its standard 1-shaku-8-sun length).

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