令和

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令和「れいわ」(Reiwa)
Reiwa is the name of the new era (元号「げんごう」gengou) in Japan.  They normally come from different Chinese classical literature, because the era system was first used in China! Reiwa comes from the oldest collection of Japanese poetry, "Manyoshu". This new name will go in effect starting May 1st, which is when Crown Prince Naruhito will become the new emperor.

What does Reiwa mean?

Reiwa has two kanji: 令 and 和. 令 generally means "order" or "celebration", and 和 means "peace". Because of this, some people are puzzled over what Reiwa is supposed to mean. Some thought it meant "give in to order", but the lesser-used meaning of 令 ("good" or "beautiful") is the true sense- making the era mean "beautiful harmony". The current period, 平成, simply means "achieving peace".

This new period is a very significant event for Japan. A new emperor, new era- it's like a fresh slate.
If you could name an era, what would you name it?

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