Emperor Hirohito, the Showa Emperor, was the last man to rule Japan from the Chrysanthemum Throne. The 29th of April, the first day of Japan’s Golden Week holiday period and the late Emperor’s birthday, is now known as Showa no Hi, (Showa Day) a holiday established to reflect upon the life and events of the reign of Japan’s last ruling Emperor.
Emperor Hirohito was the 124th Emperor of Japan. He was born on April 29th 1901 and acceded the throne in 1926 after the death of his father Taisho Emperor Yoshihito. From 1921 until 1926 Hirohito served as Prince Regent, the de facto Emperor, owing to his father’s failing health. During his 63 year rule from 1926-1989, the longest of any Emperor, he put down 2 military coup d’états (personally leading the efforts to subdue the first in 1936), led Japan into war with China and then into World War II, cooperated with US forces during the post-War occupation and dismantling of Imperial rule, and used his role as Emperor in the post-War world to help inspire the Japan’s citizenry to rebuild the nation and to mend Japan’s public image. By the time of his death in 1989 at the age of 87 (the highest age attained by any Emperor) Japan had emerged as the 2nd largest economy in the world.
Personally Emperor Hirohito enjoyed nature and marine biology. He had a lab inside the Imperial Palace which he used to study hydrozoans, small predators like jellyfish and sea polyps. Between 1967 and 1988 he published 8 scientific papers and described several dozen new species of hydrozoans to science.
A 9th paper was published posthumously in 1995.
From 1926 until 1989 Emperor Hirohito’s Birthday, April 29th, was observed as a national holiday, the first one in the Golden Week period. With Emperor Hirohito’s death that holiday moved to Emperor Akihito’s birthday, December 23rd, and left the Golden Week holiday period one day short. Rather than force the populace to adapt to a shortened Golden Week, April 29th was maintained as a holiday under the National Holidays Law and rechristened “Greenery Day” to acknowledge Emperor Hirohito and his love of nature. When admission to all of Japan’s National Parks was made free in 2007 Greenery Day was moved to May 4th and April 29th renamed Showa no Hi. Step outside on this day, enjoy the world around you and remember the Emperor. Happy Golden Week!