[6][7] This definition was established by Meiji government law; until then, even though the unit was given the same name, its length varied depending on the era.
[8][9] 明治二十四年（1891年）三月二十四日法律第三號 度量衡法第四條 從來慣用ノ鯨尺ハ布帛ヲ度ルトキニ限リ之ヲ用ヰルコトヲ得鯨尺一尺ハ一尺二寸五分トシ其ノ十倍ヲ鯨尺一丈、十分ノ一ヲ鯨尺一寸、百分ノ一ヲ鯨尺一分トスEnglish：1Shaku = 10Cun = 100bu Japanese：1尺 = 10寸 = 100分 The use of the unit for official purposes in Japan was banned on March 31, 1966, although it is still used in traditional Japanese carpentry and some other fields, such as kimono construction.
[6] The Shōsōin treasure house in Nara preserves some antique ivory one-shaku rulers, known as the kōgebachiru-no-shaku (紅牙撥鏤尺).
[2] Ten cubic shaku comprised a koku, reckoned as the amount of rice necessary to sustain a peasant for a year.
In 1909, the Korean Empire adopted the Japanese definition of the shaku as that of the ja (자).