What happens right at an era transition?

The transition takes effect on a specific day, not January 1 — for example, 1989 was Shōwa 64 for its first 7 days (through January 7) and Heisei 1 from January 8 onward.

Why does Meiji work differently from the other eras?

Meiji's proclamation came partway through 1868, but by long-established convention the entire year is retroactively counted as Meiji 1 rather than being split between the old and new eras — unlike every subsequent transition, which does split the year.

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Chinese & Japanese Calendars

Japanese Era (Nengō) Converter

Convert between Gregorian years and Japanese era years (e.g. Reiwa).

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About the Japanese Era (Nengō) Converter

Converts between Gregorian years and Japanese era years (Nengō) — e.g. 2026 is Reiwa 8 — in either direction.

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How to use it

Choose a direction: Gregorian to Nengō, or Nengō to Gregorian.
Enter the year (and era, if converting from Nengō).
Read the converted year.

Formula

Nengō year = Gregorian year − era's start year + 1. Covers the 5 modern eras: Meiji (1868), Taishō (1912), Shōwa (1926), Heisei (1989), Reiwa (2019).

Worked example

2026 is Reiwa 8; Reiwa 1 corresponds to 2019.

Interpreting your result

Meiji uses the long-established retroactive whole-year convention (all of 1868 counted as Meiji 1), not its actual proclamation date in October 1868 — a genuine historical quirk, not an oversight. The other 4 eras use their exact transition dates (e.g. Heisei began January 8, 1989; Reiwa began May 1, 2019) — a year containing a transition is split between 2 eras, which this tool's Gregorian-to-Nengō direction sidesteps by using the middle of the year.

Recommendations

• This is a general Japanese-calendar utility, not specifically religious — included alongside the Chinese calendar tools for the same "world calendar systems" search intent.

Frequently asked questions

A Japanese era name, changing with each new Emperor's reign (or occasionally within a reign, historically) — used alongside the Gregorian year in Japan for official documents, calendars, and everyday reference.