Japanese–Western Calendar Conversion
(This page revised February 28, 2022)
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If you are trying to determine when a Japanese pen was made, you might be helped by the fact that some Japanese pen manufacturers applied date codes to their pens. At the same time, however, there is a stumbling block: the traditional Japanese calendar. As of this writing, among Japanese pen manufacturers, only Platinum and Hatanaka Kosiedo are known to have date coded their pens using the traditional Japanese calendar. It may in future be discovered, however, that other manufacturers did in fact date their pens using systems based on the traditional calendar. By the same token, if you know by other means, such as a letter or a sales receipt, the Japanese year in which a pen was made, you can convert that date to Western.
The Western calendar counts years in the Common Era, coinciding with the Gregorian calendar (西暦, seireki,), which designated the supposed year of Jesus’ birth
as the year AD 1. The traditional Japanese calendar (皇紀, kōki; or 紀元, kigen), on the other hand, is based on the reign of the current emperor: when a new emperor ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne, a new era begins, and the counting of years starts over at 1. The first known branded Japanese fountain pens were made by Kiyozo Miyamoto, beginning in 1905, under the Oliver brand. The conversion tables on this page begin with 1901, which was Meiji 34.
2019–????: Reiwa Era, Emperor Naruhito
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|
Western
|
Japanese
|
Western
|
Japanese
|
|
2022
|
Reiwa 4
|
2020
|
Reiwa 2
|
2021
|
Reiwa 3
|
2019
|
Reiwa 1 / Heisei 31
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|
1989–2019: Heisei Era, Emperor Akihito
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|
Western
|
Japanese
|
Western
|
Japanese
|
|
2019
|
Heisei 31 / Reiwa 1
|
2003
|
Heisei 15
|
2018
|
Heisei 30
|
2002
|
Heisei 14
|
2017
|
Heisei 29
|
2001
|
Heisei 13
|
2016
|
Heisei 28
|
2000
|
Heisei 12
|
2015
|
Heisei 27
|
1999
|
Heisei 11
|
2014
|
Heisei 26
|
1998
|
Heisei 10
|
2013
|
Heisei 25
|
1997
|
Heisei 9
|
2012
|
Heisei 24
|
1996
|
Heisei 8
|
2011
|
Heisei 23
|
1995
|
Heisei 7
|
2010
|
Heisei 22
|
1994
|
Heisei 6
|
2009
|
Heisei 21
|
1993
|
Heisei 5
|
2008
|
Heisei 20
|
1992
|
Heisei 4
|
2007
|
Heisei 19
|
1991
|
Heisei 3
|
2006
|
Heisei 18
|
1990
|
Heisei 2
|
2005
|
Heisei 17
|
1989
|
Heisei 1 / Shōwa 64
|
2004
|
Heisei 16
|
|
|
1926–1989: Shōwa Era, Emperor Hirohito
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|
Western
|
Japanese
|
Western
|
Japanese
|
|
1989
|
Shōwa 64 / Heisei 1
|
1957
|
Shōwa 32
|
1988
|
Shōwa 63
|
1956
|
Shōwa 31
|
1987
|
Shōwa 62
|
1955
|
Shōwa 30
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1986
|
Shōwa 61
|
1954
|
Shōwa 29
|
1985
|
Shōwa 60
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1953
|
Shōwa 28
|
1984
|
Shōwa 59
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1952
|
Shōwa 27
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1983
|
Shōwa 58
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1951
|
Shōwa 26
|
1982
|
Shōwa 57
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1950
|
Shōwa 25
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1981
|
Shōwa 56
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1949
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Shōwa 24
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1980
|
Shōwa 55
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1948
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Shōwa 23
|
1979
|
Shōwa 54
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1947
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Shōwa 22
|
1978
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Shōwa 53
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1946
|
Shōwa 21
|
1977
|
Shōwa 52
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1945
|
Shōwa 20
|
1976
|
Shōwa 51
|
1944
|
Shōwa 19
|
1975
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Shōwa 50
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1943
|
Shōwa 18
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1974
|
Shōwa 49
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1942
|
Shōwa 17
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1973
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Shōwa 48
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1941
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Shōwa 16
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1972
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Shōwa 47
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1940
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Shōwa 15
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1971
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Shōwa 46
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1939
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Shōwa 14
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1970
|
Shōwa 45
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1938
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Shōwa 13
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1969
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Shōwa 44
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1937
|
Shōwa 12
|
1968
|
Shōwa 43
|
1936
|
Shōwa 11
|
1967
|
Shōwa 42
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1935
|
Shōwa 10
|
1966
|
Shōwa 41
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1934
|
Shōwa 9
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1965
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Shōwa 40
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1933
|
Shōwa 8
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1964
|
Shōwa 39
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1932
|
Shōwa 7
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1963
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Shōwa 38
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1931
|
Shōwa 6
|
1962
|
Shōwa 37
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1930
|
Shōwa 5
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1961
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Shōwa 36
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1929
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Shōwa 4
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1960
|
Shōwa 35
|
1928
|
Shōwa 3
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1959
|
Shōwa 34
|
1927
|
Shōwa 2
|
1958
|
Shōwa 33
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1926
|
Shōwa 1 / Taishō 15
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|
|
1912–1926: Taishō Era, Emperor Yoshihito
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|
Western
|
Japanese
|
Western
|
Japanese
|
|
1926
|
Taishō 15 / Shōwa 1
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1918
|
Taishō 7
|
1925
|
Taishō 14
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1917
|
Taishō 6
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1924
|
Taishō 13
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1916
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Taishō 5
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1923
|
Taishō 12
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1915
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Taishō 4
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1922
|
Taishō 11
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1914
|
Taishō 3
|
1921
|
Taishō 10
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1913
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Taishō 2
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1920
|
Taishō 9
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1912
|
Taishō 1 / Meiji 45
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1919
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Taishō 8
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|
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1868–1912: Meiji Era, Emperor Mutsuhito
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Western
|
Japanese
|
Western
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Japanese
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1912
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Meiji 45 / Taishō 1
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1906
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Meiji 39
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1911
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Meiji 44
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1905
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Meiji 38
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1910
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Meiji 43
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1904
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Meiji 37
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1909
|
Meiji 42
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1903
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Meiji 36
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1908
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Meiji 41
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1902
|
Meiji 35
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1907
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Meiji 40
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1901
|
Meiji 34
|
|
|
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Notes:
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Supposed, because Dionysius Exiguus (Dennis the Little), the monk who computed the date under the direction of Pope Gregory XIII, made an error. Scholarly calculation places Jesus’ birth in the spring of 6 BCE at the latest.
The information in this article is as accurate as possible, but you should not take it as absolutely authoritative or complete. If you have additions or corrections to this page, please consider sharing them with us to improve the accuracy of our information.