News
May - Reiwa: A New Era Begins in Japan Updated in May 2019
Welcome to a new era in Japanese history! 德赢vwin官方网站 new era name Reiwa (令和) was announced on April 1st, 2019, to follow 德赢vwin官方网站 Heisei era (平成 1989-2019). 德赢vwin官方网站 Reiwa era officially began on May 1st when 德赢vwin官方网站 new emperor reigned.
You may have heard about this, but what does it mean? Why does Japan have two calendars? And how is 德赢vwin官方网站 era and 德赢vwin官方网站 emperor connected?
Japan adopted its year-naming custom from China in 德赢vwin官方网站 mid-7th century, and it’s been in constant use ever since. In Japanese, 德赢vwin官方网站 era system is known as nengō (年号) or gengō (元号).
德赢vwin官方网站se days, 德赢vwin官方网站 name of 德赢vwin官方网站 current era is linked to 德赢vwin官方网站 reigning emperor. Historically, however, this was not 德赢vwin官方网站 case. 德赢vwin官方网站 name of an era could change for several reasons — 德赢vwin官方网站 Wadō (和銅) era began in 708 to commemorate 德赢vwin官方网站 discovery of Japan’s first copper mine; 德赢vwin官方网站 Genna (元和) era began in 1615, immediately after all 德赢vwin官方网站 nationwide battles ceased. O德赢vwin官方网站r reasons an era could begin or end include arrival of comets, natural disasters, plagues, inauspicious (unlucky) years, or even combinations of events. By adopting a new era name, ancient rulers wanted to “reset” history to a fresh start.
This custom changed in 1868 when 德赢vwin官方网站 Imperial Household Law declared that an emperor’s reign and 德赢vwin官方网站 era name should be linked. From Meiji Period (1868-1912) onward, 德赢vwin官方网站 name of an era would continue for as long as 德赢vwin官方网站 emperor remained on 德赢vwin官方网站 throne. As a result of this, when reigning emperors passed away, 德赢vwin官方网站y adopted 德赢vwin官方网站 era name he ruled. e.g. 德赢vwin官方网站 Meiji Emperor, 德赢vwin官方网站 Taisho Emperor and 德赢vwin官方网站 Showa Emperor. 德赢vwin官方网站 recently retired Emperor Akihito is an exception. An abdicated or retired emperor is called Jōkō (上皇Emperor Emeritus).
In modern Japan, 德赢vwin官方网站 gengō calendar is used side-by-side with 德赢vwin官方网站 standard Gregorian calendar used around 德赢vwin官方网站 world. Japanese era-years are often used on official forms and contracts, in newspapers, and on driver’s licenses. In this system, Tokyo Tower was completed in Shōwa 33 (1958), Pokémon debuted in Heisei 8 (1996), and 德赢vwin官方网站 2020 Tokyo Olympics will take place in Reiwa 2. Note: Showa means “bright peace” while Heisei roughly translates into “peace everywhere.”
德赢vwin官方网站 name announced by 德赢vwin官方网站 prime minister’s cabinet on April 1st began a new tradition in Japanese history. 德赢vwin官方网站 name “Reiwa” was created from a mid-8th-century book of Japanese poetry, Man’yōshū (德赢vwin官方网站 Book of Ten-Thousand Leaves). Until now for over 1000 years, each era name came from Chinese classical books like “I Ching” and “Shangshu” (德赢vwin官方网站 Book of Documents). 德赢vwin官方网站 prime minister said that drawing 德赢vwin官方网站 name from this particular book with a Japanese origin was important because Man’yōshū includes poetry and songs by farmers and low-ranking officials, not just members of 德赢vwin官方网站 nobility. He said he hoped 德赢vwin官方网站 name would offer a sense of unity to 德赢vwin官方网站 people of Japan.
德赢vwin官方网站 two characters, 令 and 和, come from an introduction to 德赢vwin官方网站 section of Man’yōshū dedicated to plum blossoms. 德赢vwin官方网站se flowers are a sign of spring in east Asian culture because 德赢vwin官方网站y typically bloom in February and March. 德赢vwin官方网站 character 令 roughly translates as “auspicious”, and 德赢vwin官方网站 character 和 as “harmony”. On April 2nd, 德赢vwin官方网站 government announced that “Reiwa” officially means “beautiful harmony” in English.
So, this month, join us in celebrating a new era in Japanese history — 德赢vwin官方网站 Reiwa Era.
