Shōwa was the posthumous name of the 124th emperor of Japan who reigned from December 25, 1926, to January 7, 1989. Abroad he is known as Emperor Hirohito, however, few of the ordinary Japanese know the real name of the monarch. Here the reigning emperor is referred as „His Majesty the Emperor“ (天皇陛下; Tennō Heika) while he‘s alive and receives a posthumous name after passing away. This name is also given to the period of his reign. Therefore Shōwa refers to the whole turbulent 63-year-long era which saw the disastrous fall of the Empire of Japan (大日本帝国; Dai Nippon Teikoku) and the astonishing post-war recovery of the modern Japanese state (日本国; Nippon-koku).
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