Converter › Shōwa era
The Shōwa era 昭和
Dec 25, 1926 – Jan 7, 1989 · Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) · era name glossed “enlightened harmony”
Shōwa is the longest modern era: sixty-two full years and a few days on each end. Its first year lasted only seven days (December 25–31, 1926) and its last also just seven (January 1–7, 1989), which makes Shōwa 1 and Shōwa 64 dates favorites among coin and stamp collectors.
Conversion rule: Shōwa year + 1925 = Western year. Year 1 is written 元年 (gannen).
How to read Shōwa dates
On coins
昭和三十二年
kanji numerals — 三十二 reads 32, so this is Shōwa 32 = 1957
On forms & licenses
S32
the era is shortened to its initial — S32 means Shōwa 32
Year 1
昭和元年
written 元年 (gannen, “origin year”), never 1年
Step-by-step examples for coins, documents and licenses: reading guide →
Shōwa era → Western year table
| Era year | Kanji | Western | Zodiac |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shōwa 1 | 昭和元年 | 1926 | 寅 Tiger |
| Shōwa 2 | 昭和二年 | 1927 | 卯 Rabbit |
| Shōwa 3 | 昭和三年 | 1928 | 辰 Dragon |
| Shōwa 4 | 昭和四年 | 1929 | 巳 Snake |
| Shōwa 5 | 昭和五年 | 1930 | 午 Horse |
| Shōwa 6 | 昭和六年 | 1931 | 未 Goat |
| Shōwa 7 | 昭和七年 | 1932 | 申 Monkey |
| Shōwa 8 | 昭和八年 | 1933 | 酉 Rooster |
| Shōwa 9 | 昭和九年 | 1934 | 戌 Dog |
| Shōwa 10 | 昭和十年 | 1935 | 亥 Pig |
| Shōwa 11 | 昭和十一年 | 1936 | 子 Rat |
| Shōwa 12 | 昭和十二年 | 1937 | 丑 Ox |
| Shōwa 13 | 昭和十三年 | 1938 | 寅 Tiger |
| Shōwa 14 | 昭和十四年 | 1939 | 卯 Rabbit |
| Shōwa 15 | 昭和十五年 | 1940 | 辰 Dragon |
| Shōwa 16 | 昭和十六年 | 1941 | 巳 Snake |
| Shōwa 17 | 昭和十七年 | 1942 | 午 Horse |
| Shōwa 18 | 昭和十八年 | 1943 | 未 Goat |
| Shōwa 19 | 昭和十九年 | 1944 | 申 Monkey |
| Shōwa 20 | 昭和二十年 | 1945 | 酉 Rooster |
| Shōwa 21 | 昭和二十一年 | 1946 | 戌 Dog |
| Shōwa 22 | 昭和二十二年 | 1947 | 亥 Pig |
| Shōwa 23 | 昭和二十三年 | 1948 | 子 Rat |
| Shōwa 24 | 昭和二十四年 | 1949 | 丑 Ox |
| Shōwa 25 | 昭和二十五年 | 1950 | 寅 Tiger |
| Shōwa 26 | 昭和二十六年 | 1951 | 卯 Rabbit |
| Shōwa 27 | 昭和二十七年 | 1952 | 辰 Dragon |
| Shōwa 28 | 昭和二十八年 | 1953 | 巳 Snake |
| Shōwa 29 | 昭和二十九年 | 1954 | 午 Horse |
| Shōwa 30 | 昭和三十年 | 1955 | 未 Goat |
| Shōwa 31 | 昭和三十一年 | 1956 | 申 Monkey |
| Shōwa 32 | 昭和三十二年 | 1957 | 酉 Rooster |
| Shōwa 33 | 昭和三十三年 | 1958 | 戌 Dog |
| Shōwa 34 | 昭和三十四年 | 1959 | 亥 Pig |
| Shōwa 35 | 昭和三十五年 | 1960 | 子 Rat |
| Shōwa 36 | 昭和三十六年 | 1961 | 丑 Ox |
| Shōwa 37 | 昭和三十七年 | 1962 | 寅 Tiger |
| Shōwa 38 | 昭和三十八年 | 1963 | 卯 Rabbit |
| Shōwa 39 | 昭和三十九年 | 1964 | 辰 Dragon |
| Shōwa 40 | 昭和四十年 | 1965 | 巳 Snake |
| Shōwa 41 | 昭和四十一年 | 1966 | 午 Horse |
| Shōwa 42 | 昭和四十二年 | 1967 | 未 Goat |
| Shōwa 43 | 昭和四十三年 | 1968 | 申 Monkey |
| Shōwa 44 | 昭和四十四年 | 1969 | 酉 Rooster |
| Shōwa 45 | 昭和四十五年 | 1970 | 戌 Dog |
| Shōwa 46 | 昭和四十六年 | 1971 | 亥 Pig |
| Shōwa 47 | 昭和四十七年 | 1972 | 子 Rat |
| Shōwa 48 | 昭和四十八年 | 1973 | 丑 Ox |
| Shōwa 49 | 昭和四十九年 | 1974 | 寅 Tiger |
| Shōwa 50 | 昭和五十年 | 1975 | 卯 Rabbit |
| Shōwa 51 | 昭和五十一年 | 1976 | 辰 Dragon |
| Shōwa 52 | 昭和五十二年 | 1977 | 巳 Snake |
| Shōwa 53 | 昭和五十三年 | 1978 | 午 Horse |
| Shōwa 54 | 昭和五十四年 | 1979 | 未 Goat |
| Shōwa 55 | 昭和五十五年 | 1980 | 申 Monkey |
| Shōwa 56 | 昭和五十六年 | 1981 | 酉 Rooster |
| Shōwa 57 | 昭和五十七年 | 1982 | 戌 Dog |
| Shōwa 58 | 昭和五十八年 | 1983 | 亥 Pig |
| Shōwa 59 | 昭和五十九年 | 1984 | 子 Rat |
| Shōwa 60 | 昭和六十年 | 1985 | 丑 Ox |
| Shōwa 61 | 昭和六十一年 | 1986 | 寅 Tiger |
| Shōwa 62 | 昭和六十二年 | 1987 | 卯 Rabbit |
| Shōwa 63 | 昭和六十三年 | 1988 | 辰 Dragon |
| Shōwa 64 | 昭和六十四年 | 1989 | 巳 Snake |
Common questions about the Shōwa era
What years does the Shōwa era cover?
The Shōwa era covers Dec 25, 1926 – Jan 7, 1989. In year terms: Shōwa 1 = 1926 through Shōwa 64 = 1989.
How do I convert a Shōwa year to a Western year?
Add 1925. Shōwa 32 + 1925 = 1957, and the same rule works for every year in the era. Going the other way, subtract 1925 from the Western year.
What does “Shōwa” mean?
The name 昭和 is customarily glossed “enlightened harmony” in English. Each modern era name is chosen when a new emperor accedes — Shōwa corresponds to the reign of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito).
What is Shōwa 1 called?
元年 (gannen, “origin year”) — the first year of any era is written 昭和元年, never 昭和1年. On forms it may appear as S1.
Which years in this era have two era names?
Both edge years are shared. 1926 is Taishō 15 through December 24, then Shōwa 1 from December 25; 1989 is Shōwa 64 through January 7, then Heisei 1 from January 8.