Soroban (Abacus) Day (Soroban no Hi)

What is Soroban Day?

August 8th is "Soroban Day" (Abacus Day) in Japan. It was established in 1968 by the Japan Federation of Soroban Education (Zenkoku Shuzan Kyoiku Renmei), headquartered in Kyoto, to promote the soroban (Japanese abacus) and its excellent functions. The date comes from the "pachi-pachi (8-8)" clicking sound made when working an abacus. Every year the federation holds the All Japan Soroban Championship. Now that calculators and smartphones are everywhere, this is a good day to take a fresh look at the soroban as a hands-on calculating tool.

The history of the soroban in Japanese life

The soroban is a calculating tool that long supported everyday life and the economy in Japan, from trade to tax calculations.

• Introduced from China: The soroban came from China. The exact date is unknown, but it is said to have been in use by at least the early 15th century, and a Chinese text from the 1570s, "Riben Fengtu Ji," also mentions it as "sōhan." The word "soroban" itself is said to derive from the Chinese reading of 算盤, "suanpan."
• "Reading, writing and soroban": In the Edo period, the soroban was studied alongside reading and writing at temple schools (terakoya) and became an essential skill for merchants.
• Changes in the number of beads: The Chinese-style abacus had 2 beads on top and 5 below. In the Meiji era a "five-bead" type with 1 bead on top and 5 below spread, and in the 1930s-40s (the Showa 10s) the standard school abacus was set at 1 bead on top and 4 below, which became today's common form.

Mental soroban and the national championship

Experienced soroban users can calculate by picturing the beads in their heads, a technique called "anzan" (mental soroban). At the All Japan Soroban Championship held by the federation, competitors race for speed and accuracy in events such as dictated calculation and mental arithmetic.

Soroban trivia

• Soroban vs. electric calculator: In November 1946, at the Ernie Pyle Theater in Tokyo (the requisitioned Tokyo Takarazuka Theater), Kiyoshi Matsuzaki, a soroban expert from the Ministry of Communications, competed against a US Army soldier using an electric calculating machine. The soroban won 4 to 1.
• Japan's oldest soroban: A soroban said to have been used by the warlord Maeda Toshiie on campaign, preserved at the Sonkeikaku Library, was long regarded as the oldest surviving soroban in Japan. In 2014, however, research suggested that a soroban said to have been given by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to a retainer of the Kuroda clan is older.
• Two main production areas: "Banshu soroban" from Ono City, Hyogo, and "Unshu soroban" from Okuizumo, Shimane, are the two best-known production areas. They were designated as traditional crafts in 1976 and 1987 respectively.
• The soroban in the calculator age: Even after the personal calculator "Casio Mini" became a hit in 1972, many people could still calculate faster on a soroban, and products combining a calculator and a soroban were sold.
• "Gohasan" comes from the soroban: The Japanese expression "gohasan ni suru" (to wipe the slate clean) comes from clearing the beads of a soroban back to zero.

Ideas for spending Soroban Day

• Try adding up a shopping bill or splitting a lunch tab in your head, without a calculator
• Dig out an old soroban at home and try clicking the beads again
• If you went to soroban lessons as a child, bring up those memories in conversation
• Look into Banshu and Unshu soroban as traditional crafts

The click of the beads carries Japan's culture of calculation

August 8th is a day to appreciate the soroban, which has supported calculation in Japan since the Muromachi period. Moving beads one at a time to reach an answer, the soroban shows in a visible way that even large numbers are built from small steps. Today, picture that clicking sound and work through your tasks one at a time.