Japan is the only country that still uses era names so far. The ones that everyone is familiar with include Meiji, Taisho, Showa, Heisei, and now Reiwa.

When it comes to Japan's era names, it is consistent with a famous saying of Confucius, "If etiquette fails, seek the wild." Since the fall of Emperor "Bao Dai" of the Nguyen Dynasty, Japan has become the only country in the world that still uses era names. Moreover, among the many systems that Japan inherited from ancient China, the era name system can be said to be the most long-lasting system in Japan and has been inherited to this day.

Japan's era name system originated from the Tang Dynasty in China. In 645 AD, Emperor Kotoku of Japan first used the era name "Taika". Since then, the era name system has been established in Japan. Like China, Japan's era names can be changed at will. It was not until the Meiji Restoration that Japan established the "one emperor, one yuan system". Since Emperor Meiji, Japan has experienced three eras: "Taisho", "Showa" and "Heisei".

Related introduction

The era name system originated in China. Later, Korea and Silla in the 6th century, Japan in the late 7th century, and Vietnam in the 10th century all began to use the year due to the influence of China. In ancient times, Vietnam, North Korea during the Korean Empire, Goryeo, and Mongolia were influenced by China in the early years of their founding, and all used era names.

Japan, which still uses the era name, still maintains its monarchy. Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, as well as South Korea and Vietnam have completely abolished the reign name because they have abolished the monarchy. In addition, the Republic of China chronology used by the Republic of China and the Juche chronology used by North Korea are often mistaken for era names.