Edo Period Weight, Height, and Shoe Size Conversion
Converts body measurements from the Edo period to modern units.
| Height | Centimeters |
| Weight | kilograms |
| Shoe Size | Centimeters |
Commoners in the Edo period used various ingenious methods to express their physical dimensions.
● Height
We calculated using the formula: shaku = 10 sun = 1000/33 centimeters.
The shaku, a unit of length, was defined as the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the middle finger when the hand was spread. It appears this was shorter than the SI unit.
● Weight
1 kan = 3.75 kilograms.
The unit of weight, “kan,” was based on the weight of a single one-mon coin, with 1000 monme defined as 1 kan.
● Shoe Size
1 “mon” = 2.4 centimeters.
The unit “mon,” used to measure shoe size, is said to be the size of a one-mon coin.
It seems that units were defined based on everyday objects in all these cases.
● Height
We calculated using the formula: shaku = 10 sun = 1000/33 centimeters.
The shaku, a unit of length, was defined as the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the middle finger when the hand was spread. It appears this was shorter than the SI unit.
● Weight
1 kan = 3.75 kilograms.
The unit of weight, “kan,” was based on the weight of a single one-mon coin, with 1000 monme defined as 1 kan.
● Shoe Size
1 “mon” = 2.4 centimeters.
The unit “mon,” used to measure shoe size, is said to be the size of a one-mon coin.
It seems that units were defined based on everyday objects in all these cases.
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