Shōwa (正和) or Medieval Showa was a Japanese era name (年号, nengō, lit.

This period spanned the years from March 1312 through February 1317.

[2] The era name is derived from the Old Book of Tang, a Classical Chinese work composed in AD 941–945.

The first character is shō (正), meaning "proper, straight, true",[3] while 和 (wa) means "peace," and may also pun on Wa (倭), an ancient name for Japan.

[5][6] Initially, former-Emperor Fushimi administered the court up through the time he took the tonsure as a Buddhist monk.