Reiwa began on 1 May 2019 with Emperor Naruhito’s accession, and the name was announced a month ahead — on 1 April — so that calendars, forms and software could be ready. It is the first era name taken from Japanese literature rather than the Chinese classics: the two characters come from a preface to plum-blossom poems in the eighth-century Man’yōshū. Reiwa 1 ran only from May to December, so the Tokyo Olympics, postponed to 2021, were held in Reiwa 3.