How to read it

Meiji was proclaimed on 23 October 1868 and applied to the whole year retroactively, so 1868 counts as Meiji 1 — 明治元年, Meiji gannen — from its start, even though most of that year was lived as Keiō 4 under the old calendar. On paper it is M1: forms print the era options — 明・大・昭・平・令, or the letters M T S H R — beside the date box, and you circle one and write the number. One caveat: until 1873 Japan kept the lunisolar calendar, so 明治元年 actually began on the lunar new year, a few weeks into 1868, and ran into 1869. The one-to-one match between era years and Western years starts with Meiji 6, when 3 December Meiji 5 was followed by 1 January 1873.

Other years

• 1869明治2年
• 1870明治3年
• 1871明治4年
• 1872明治5年
• 1873明治6年

Every year of the Meiji era → · How the Japanese calendar works, and every year 1868–2050