Historical Units

Shaku (尺)

Definição

O shaku (尺) é uma unidade japonesa tradicional de comprimento igual a 10/33 metros, aproximadamente 30,303 cm, historicamente derivada do chi chinês.

Explicação

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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