Meiō (明応), also known as Mei-ō, was a Japanese era name (年号,, nengō,; lit. "year name") after Entoku and before Bunki. This period started in July 1492 and ended in February 1501. During this time, the emperors were Go-Tsuchimikado-tennō (後土御門天皇) and Go-Kashiwabara-tennō (後柏原天皇).
Events of the Meiō era
The lantern festival at Hasedera is part of a history of fires which includes burning of a 600-year-old statue of Kannon in the 4th year of Meiō
1492 (Meiō 2, 2nd month): Shogun Yoshimura led an army against the daimyo of Kawachi Province.
1495 (Meiō 4): Statue of Kannon carved in the 8th century was lost to fire at Hase-dera in Nara.
12 September 1495 (Meiō 4, 24th day of the 8th month): Earthquake at Kashima (Latitude: 35.100/Longitude: 139.500), 7.1 magnitude on the Richter Scale.
9 July 1498 (Meiō 7, 20th day of the 6th month): Earthquake in the Enshunada Sea (Latitude: 34.400/Longitude: 137.700), 6.4 on the Richter Scale.
20 September 1498 (Meiō 7, 2nd day of the 7th month): Earthquake in the Enshunada Sea (Latitude: 34.000/Longitude: 138.100), 8.6 on the Richter Scale; and also on that same day, another earthquake in Nankaido (Latitude: 33.500/Longitude: 135.200), 7.5 on the Richter Scale.
21 October 1500 (Meiō 9, 28th day of the 9th month): Emperor Go-Tuschimikado died.
↑Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Hase-dera" in Japan Encyclopedia, pp. 291-292; Washizuka, Hiromitsu. (1997). Enlightenment embodied: the art of the Japanese Buddhist sculptor, p. 55.
♯The Northern pretenders did not recognize the Genkō era. Gentoku was used in the Northern Court until 1332. ₪The Shōkyō era was recognized only by the Northern pretenders, not by the Southern Court. ‡ Upon reunification of the Northern and Southern Courts in 1392, Genchū was discontinued. Meitoku was used until 1394.