The Clustering Occurrence of Red Sign Auroral Events in Japanese History
Published in Studies in Japanese Literature and Culture, 2023
This multidisciplinary study carried out surveys of both literary and scientific materials with the goal of producing a fuller list of “red sign” auroral events? auroras that occur at lower latitudes during giant magnetic storms?over a 1,400-year period in Japanese history. Various red sign events described in historical sources were examined, in particular with regard to the clustering occurrence patterns found to be associated with such events, both those due potentially to factors of solar origin (such as grand minima, solar cycles, solar rotation, and successive eruptions), as well as those of geomagnetic origin (such as secular and semiannual dipole tilt variations). The obtained scientific findings, especially regarding the recurrence of red sign events, together with the documentary graphical evidence uncovered, are important in preparing against future large magnetic storms and related space weather hazards. The literary findings about the unique and elliptical expressions used to refer to these red sign events, moreover, provide insights for understanding various characteristically Japanese cultural and societal responses to striking and rare heavenly phenomena. Significant contributions from modern citizen science were also introduced.
Recommended citation: Kataoka, R. (2023). "The Clustering Occurrence of Red Sign Auroral Events in Japanese History" Studies in Japanese Literature and Culture. 6, 119-143 http://id.nii.ac.jp/1283/00004724/