It is the 13th Year of the Kyūei Era.
The 34th Emperor, Emperor Kyūei of the House of Narazaka, of the House of Doji, of the House of Hantei. The Emperor is a man in his prime, and when he ascended the throne as a young man he took the name "Kyūei," which means "a return to values." For two generations the higher members of the Imperial Court had quietly grumbled about how his father and grandfather disregarded the traditional procedures of the Emerald Throne, and Kyūei has done much to reinstate confidence in the Forbidden City. The daimyos of the Clans are less pleased, for they grew wealthy and powerful under the loose eye of the previous Hantei Emperors.
It is the Year of the Wooden Dog.
The astrological calendar of Rokugan is complex. Rather than counting by centuries like our calendar, they count by sexagenaries, or 60-year cycles. Each year of the cycle is named after a unique astrological zodiac: the Fire Horse, the Water Monkey, the Wooden Tiger. Each cycle is also an era, named after the same 60 zodiacs.
This year has been especially auspicious. It is currently the Age of the Wooden Dog, and it is now the Year of the Wooden Dog. This alignment will not happen again for thousands of years.
It is Falling Leaf Month, at the Height of Autumn.
Falling Leaf Month is the month in which the traditional and noble activity of "Leaf Gazing" takes place. People flock to the countryside and spend days, or even weeks, contemplating the transcendental beauty of the falling autumnal leaves. Falling Leaf Month might roughly correspond to our "October." The coldest mountains will probably have some snow by now, but most of the Empire is enjoying the fall weather before winter comes.
The months are also aligned with the cosmos. This year, Falling Leaf Month is aligned with the Water Hen. Next month, Long Month, will be very auspicious indeed. It will be the month of the Wooden Dog, in the year of the Wooden Dog, in the age of the Wooden Dog.
