Today, the Japanese government announced the name of the new imperial era: Reiwa (令和). It will replace Heisei, the name of the current imperial era. Heisei (平成) literally means “become peace,” and the era began in 1989 when the current Emperor took to the throne. Thus, the year Heisei 1 is 1989, Heisei 2 is 1990, and Heisei 3 1991 and so on This photo is iconic in Japan. The new era's name will be revealed on April 1. No joke! pic.twitter.com/rpkyOE8LLH — Brian Ashcraft (@Brian_Ashcraft) March 1, 2019 The era prior was called Showa, and dates from 1926–1989. Showa (昭和) literally means “shining Japan.” The country’s history is divided up into a series of eras. For example, the era before Showa was the Taisho Period (1912–1926) and before that was the Meiji Period (1868–1912), which each marking rummy nabob the rule of a different emperorcnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({"playerId":"e3616d04-4972-4839-a63a-c6975e2e9731","settings":{"advertising":{"macros":{"AD_UNIT":"/23178111854/od.kotaku.com/article","CHILD_UNIT":"article","POST_ID":"1833706339","POST_TYPE":"post","CHANNEL":"kotaku-east","SECTION":"japan","SUBSECTION":"","CATEGORIES":"japan","TAGS":"","NOP":"0"},"timeBeforeFirstAd":0}}}).render("cnx-player-main")}); And so, the new era shall be named Reiwa 令和! pic.twitter.com/d3P9oIhdIA — Chiaki (@Chiaki18441485) April 1, 2019 This Japanese imperial system is used throughout the country on official documents rummy noble as well as in daily life. This can be confusing for foreigners and can make year-conversion tricky even for Japanese people. Naturally, each era is defined by its events, culture, thought and fashion. Today, when stuff looks retro in Japan, people often it as “Showa-poi” or “Showa-like.” As time passes, the same will be said of Heisei buildings, culture and fashion Osaka 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/IqGsvSsulO — Brian Ashcraft (@Brian_Ashcraft) March 26, 2019 For example, while the early Showa Period was ravaged by war, Osaka’s Tower of the Sun and the Famicom became emblematic of the late Showa Era Japan's ew era name REIWA comes from the country's oldest poetry collection, Manyoshu, and the kanji 令和 literally mean "decree" and "peace". 2nd kanji is also used to signify Japan. pic.twitter.com/OMwbukKAGn — Tokyotronic (@robotopia) April 1, 2019 https://twitter.com/embed/status/1112548905009373185 The current Heisei Period rummy satta will end on April 30, 2019 (or Heisei 31) when Emperor Akihito abdicates the throne, and the Reiwa Era is expected to start on May 1. Crown Prince Naruhito is expected to be enthroned this October. Only time will tell what will define the new era for future generations. https://twitter.com/embed/status/1112552920522776578