What is the gengō system?
元号 (gengō) — era name — is Japan's traditional calendar system. Rather than numbering years from a fixed historical point (as Western calendars do from the Common Era), Japan names each period of an emperor's reign and numbers years within that period. When a new emperor ascends, a new era begins at year 1.
This system has been used continuously since 645 CE, making it one of the longest-running calendar traditions in the world. Japan uses the gengō system alongside the Western (Gregorian) calendar — official documents, coins, and forms often use both.
The recent eras
令和 (Reiwa — "beautiful harmony"): Began May 1, 2019, when Emperor Naruhito ascended. 令和1年 = 2019. 令和7年 = 2025. 平成 (Heisei — "achieving peace"): 1989–2019. 昭和 (Shōwa — "radiant Japan"): 1926–1989, the era of Emperor Hirohito, spanning WWII, the occupation, and the economic miracle. 大正 (Taishō — "great righteousness"): 1912–1926. 明治 (Meiji — "enlightened rule"): 1868–1912, the era of Japan's modernisation.
To convert from Reiwa to Western year: add 2018. Reiwa 7 = 2025 (7 + 2018). For Heisei: add 1988. Heisei 31 = 2019. For Showa: add 1925. Showa 64 (the last year) = 1989. Era names for recent periods are easy to remember with these simple offsets.
Era names as cultural markers
Each era name is chosen from classical Chinese texts and carries aspirational meaning. 令和 was chosen from the Man'yōshū — the first era name sourced from a Japanese rather than Chinese text, a point of cultural pride. Era names appear on coins, official documents, gravestones, and in conversation — "昭和の人" (a Showa person) immediately signals someone who grew up in that era's culture.
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