Japanese Era
Convert Western dates to Japanese era dates (wareki) such as Reiwa, Heisei and Showa, and back. Covers every era since Taika (645) and shows the eto and weekday. Type an era year to get the Western date; if the date is outside that era, it switches to the correct one automatically.
What is the Japanese era calendar?
Japan counts years by era name (年号 nengō, also called 元号 gengō), and this style of date is called wareki (和暦). An era starts when it is proclaimed, which since 1868 has meant when a new emperor begins his reign, and its years are numbered from 1. For example, 2026 is Reiwa 8 (令和8年). Japanese official documents, forms and many websites still use these era years. This tool converts any date between the Western (Gregorian) calendar and the Japanese era, and also shows the zodiac animal of the year (干支 eto) and the day of the week.
How to use
- Western date: pick or type a date (YYYY-MM-DD). The era fields below update.
- Era, Year, Month, Day: choose an era and type the year, month and day to convert in the other direction. Western date updates.
- Zodiac shows the year's zodiac animal (干支) and Weekday the day of the week with its Japanese character (日 Sun, 月 Mon, 火 Tue, 水 Wed, 木 Thu, 金 Fri, 土 Sat).
Selecting an era in Era jumps to its first day. If you enter a date that belongs to a different era, for example 令和1年1月1日, the tool converts it and tells you the correct era (平成31年1月1日). Dates that do not exist, such as February 30, are reported as errors.
Features
- Western date to era date and era date to Western date
- Every era from Taika (大化, 645) to Reiwa (令和), with the historical period shown in the list
- Northern and Southern Court (北朝 / 南朝) eras for 1331-1392
- Year of the zodiac (十二支) with its animal emoji
- Day of the week
- Dates from AD 1 to 9999; years before 645 are shown as 未定義 (no era) with the Western year
Modern eras
| Era | First day | Western year = |
|---|---|---|
| Reiwa 令和 | 2019-05-01 | era year + 2018 |
| Heisei 平成 | 1989-01-08 | era year + 1988 |
| Showa 昭和 | 1926-12-25 | era year + 1925 |
| Taisho 大正 | 1912-07-30 | era year + 1911 |
| Meiji 明治 | 1868-10-23 | era year + 1867 |
Examples
| Western date | Era date | 干支 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-03 | 令和8年10月3日 | 午 (Horse) |
| 2019-04-30 | 平成31年4月30日 | 亥 (Boar) |
| 2019-05-01 | 令和1年5月1日 | 亥 (Boar) |
| 1989-01-07 | 昭和64年1月7日 | 巳 (Snake) |
| 1989-01-08 | 平成1年1月8日 | 巳 (Snake) |
Notes on older dates
- Before Meiji, Japan used a lunisolar calendar. Era start dates before Meiji are the traditional month and day applied to the Gregorian year as-is, so the boundaries are approximate.
- Month and day are always shown in the Gregorian calendar, which Japan adopted in 1873 (明治6年).
- For 1331-1392 the Northern Court era is shown by default. Choose a Southern Court era from the list to see the date in that era.
FAQ
Why does the tool show year 1 instead of 元年?
The first year of an era is traditionally written 元年 (gannen), but it means the same as year 1. The year is shown as a number so it can be edited.
Which era is January 7, 1989?
Showa 64. Heisei began the next day, January 8, 1989. In the same way, April 30, 2019 is Heisei 31 and May 1, 2019 is Reiwa 1.
When does the zodiac animal (干支) change?
In this tool the zodiac animal follows the Western year and changes on January 1, not at Setsubun or the lunar new year. Only the 12 animals (十二支) are shown, not the full 60-year cycle (such as 甲子).
Is anything sent to a server?
No. The era table is built into the page and the conversion runs in your browser.