Anna

Overview

Anna (安和) was a Japanese era name, or nengō (年号, "year name"), that followed Kōhō and preceded Tenroku. The era spanned from August 968 through March 970, during the Heian period (794–1185). The reigning emperors during this time were Reizei-tennō (冷泉天皇) and En'yū-tennō (円融天皇).

The Anna era was brief, lasting less than two full calendar years. It began in the eighth month of 968 and ended in the third month of 970, when the new era name Tenroku was proclaimed.

What Defined the Era

The Anna era opened with a transition in imperial succession. Emperor Reizei, who had taken the throne in 967, was still early in his reign when the era began. Reizei's rule was marked by his documented mental instability, a condition that contemporary court chronicles describe openly. This made the question of succession a pressing concern throughout the Anna years.

The era is most remembered in Japanese history for the Anna Incident (安和の変, Anna no hen), a political purge that unfolded in 969. The affair involved accusations that Minamoto no Takaakira (源高明), a senior court noble and son of Emperor Daigo, was plotting to place his grandson on the throne. Takaakira had been a powerful figure in the court, serving as a minister under the previous era, and his fall reshaped the balance of power among the noble families.

The incident was driven in part by factional rivalry. The Fujiwara clan, particularly Fujiwara no Saneyori (藤原実頼) and his brother Fujiwara no Morotada (藤原師尹), sought to consolidate their control over the imperial court. Takaakira's removal from office and exile to Kyushu eliminated a major rival and cleared the path for the Fujiwara regency to dominate the throne for generations to come.

Key Events

• August 968: The Anna era was proclaimed, replacing Kōhō. The new era name was announced in connection with the ongoing reign of Emperor Reizei.

• 969: The Anna Incident occurred. Minamoto no Takaakira was accused of conspiring to install his grandson as emperor. He was stripped of his offices and exiled to Dazaifu in Kyushu, the traditional place of banishment for disgraced nobles.

• 969: Emperor Reizei abdicated after a reign of roughly two years. His younger brother, Prince Morihira, ascended the throne as Emperor En'yū. The abdication was tied to Reizei's deteriorating mental condition, which made continued rule untenable.

• 970: The Anna era came to an end in the third month, when the new era name Tenroku was proclaimed. The change of era followed the accession of En'yū and the consolidation of Fujiwara authority under the regency system.

The Name in Japanese

The era name Anna is written in Japanese as 安和.

• Kana reading: あんな
• Romaji: Anna

The name consists of two kanji characters:

• 安 — read as an in this word. The character means "peace," "tranquil," or "calm." It is a common character in Japanese, appearing in words like anshin (安心, "peace of mind") and anzen (安全, "safety"). In era names, 安 appears frequently; it was used in the earlier era Anwa (安和, 968) and later in An'ei (安永, 1772–1781).

• 和 — read as na in this word. The character means "harmony," "peace," or "Japan." It is the same character used in wa as in Washoku (和食, "Japanese food") and Nihon (日本, "Japan"). The reading na here is an irregular or kun'yomi-adjacent reading; in most compounds 和 is read as wa or ka, but in the era name Anna it takes the reading na.

Together, 安和 conveys the sense of "peace and harmony." The choice of such a name reflects the court's aspiration for a stable and orderly reign, even as the political realities of the era proved turbulent. The name was reused in the Edo period as An'ei, though with a different second character, showing the enduring appeal of 安 as a symbol of imperial calm.

How the Era Name Works

The Japanese era name system, nengō (年号), is a way of counting years by imperial reign or by proclaimed era. Each era has a name, usually two kanji characters, chosen to express a hopeful or auspicious meaning. The system was adopted from China in the seventh century, with the first Japanese era, Taika (大化), proclaimed in 645.

An era name is not tied to a single emperor's entire reign. Emperors could change the era name multiple times during their rule, often to mark a new beginning, a natural disaster, or an auspicious event. In the Heian period, era names changed frequently, sometimes lasting only a few years. The Anna era, lasting from 968 to 970, was typical of this pattern: short, with a name chosen to project peace, and ended when the political situation warranted a fresh start.

The era name also functions as a calendar system. A year is expressed as the first year of an era, the second year, and so on. For example, 968 was the first year of Anna, and 969 was the second year. When the era changed in 970, the calendar reset to the first year of Tenroku. This system remained in official use in Japan until 1873, when the Gregorian calendar was adopted alongside the imperial reign system, and it continues today in a modified form with the current era, Reiwa.