Webt. e. The Shōwa era (昭和時代, Shōwa jidai, [ɕoːwadʑidai] ⓘ) was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Shōwa (commonly known in English as Emperor Hirohito) from December 25, 1926, until his death on January 7, 1989. [1] It was preceded by the Taishō era and succeeded by the Heisei era .