Shōhei facts for kids
- For the Japanese era from 931 through 938, see Jōhei.
Shōhei (正平) was a special way of naming years in Japan. It was used by the Southern Court during a time called the Nanboku-chō period. This period started in December 1346 and ended in July 1370. It came after the Kōkoku era and before the Kentoku era.
During the Shōhei era, Japan had two groups of emperors claiming to be the true rulers. The emperors of the Southern Court were Emperor Go-Murakami (後村上天皇, Go-Murakami-tennō) and Emperor Chōkei (長慶天皇, Chōkei-tennō). At the same time, the Northern Court had its own emperors in Kyoto. These were Emperor Kōmyō (光明天皇, Kōmyō-tennō), Emperor Sukō (崇光天皇, Sukō-tennō) and Emperor Go-Kōgon (後光厳天皇, Go-Kōgon-tennō).
Contents
Important Events of the Shōhei Era
Changes in Leadership and Power
- December 2, 1348 (Shōhei 3): The former emperor, Emperor Hanazono, passed away.
- 1349 (Shōhei 4): Emperor Go-Murakami had to leave Kyoto and move to a place called A'no. This shows how much conflict there was between the two courts.
- 1358 (Shōhei 13): Ashikaga Takauji, a very powerful military leader (called a shogun), died. After his death, his son, Ashikaga Yoshiakira, became the new shogun. The shogun was like the real ruler of Japan, even though the emperor was still the official head.
- 1368 (Shōhei 23): Ashikaga Yoshimitsu became the third shogun of the Ashikaga family. He would become a very important leader in Japanese history.
- March 29, 1368 (Shōhei 23): Emperor Go-Murakami died. His oldest son then took over as the new emperor.
Conflicts and Natural Disasters
- 1350 (Kannō 5): A general named Yoshinori was in charge of protecting Kyoto.
- 1350–1352 (Shōhei 5–7): There was a big fight called the Kannō disturbance (観応擾乱, Kannō Jōran). This was a civil war within the Ashikaga family, which made the conflict between the Southern and Northern Courts even more complicated.
- 1352 (Shōhei 7): Emperor Go-Murakami's forces managed to capture three former Northern Court emperors: Kōgon, Kōmyō, and Sukō. They were later allowed to return to Kyoto in 1357 (Shōhei 12).
- 1361 (Shōhei 16): This year had some big natural events. There was a lot of snow, a terrible fire in Kyoto, and a strong earthquake.
Other Notable Events
- 1354 (Shōhei 9): Kitabatake Chikafusa, an important figure who supported the Southern Court, died.
Northern Court Era Names
While the Southern Court used the "Shōhei" era name, the Northern Court in Kyoto used different names for their years during this same time. Here are the era names they used:
- Jōwa, 1345–1350
- Kannō, 1350–1352
- Bunna, 1352–1356
- Enbun, 1356–1361
- Kōan, 1361–1362
- Jōji, 1362–1368
- Ōan, 1368–1375
Related pages
- National Diet Library, "The Japanese Calendar" -- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection
| Preceded by: Kōkoku |
Era or nengō: Shōhei |
Succeeded by: Kentoku |
