Ōwa

Ōwa was a Japanese era from 961 to 964, during the reign of Emperor Murakami. It followed Tentoku and preceded Kōhō.

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Emperor Murakami: The 62nd emperor of Japan, who reigned from 946 to 967. Ōwa was one of the era names used during his reign.
Nengō: A Japanese era name used to designate a period of years in the traditional calendar. Ōwa is a nengō, and its four-year span defines the period’s dates.
Engishiki: A Japanese compendium of laws, regulations, and court procedures completed in 927. Its institutional world provides context for the court administration operating during Ōwa.
Sesshō and Kampaku: The offices of regent for a child emperor and chief adviser for an adult emperor in Japan. Regency and chief-adviser politics shaped the court during Murakami’s reign.
Japanese era name: A nengō is a Japanese calendar designation used to identify years, often changing with an emperor or major event. Ōwa belongs to the system of named periods that organizes Japanese historical dates.
Emperor Reizei: The 63rd emperor of Japan, who reigned from 967 to 969. His reign followed Murakami’s, after Ōwa had ended.
Heian-kyō: The capital of Japan established in 794 at the site of modern Kyoto. Ōwa-era court life was centered in this imperial capital.
Fujiwara regency: The political system in which Fujiwara leaders governed as regents or chief advisers to Japanese emperors. Ōwa belongs to a period when Fujiwara court power was consolidating.
Tentoku: A Japanese era from 957 to 961, during Emperor Murakami’s reign. Tentoku immediately preceded Ōwa in the era sequence.
Japanese imperial succession: The hereditary sequence of rulers of Japan’s imperial house. The transition from Murakami to Reizei frames Ōwa’s position in the royal chronology.