Ōhō (応保) — Japanese era name, 1161–1163

Dates and political context

The Ōhō era began in the ninth month of 1161 and concluded in the third month of 1163. It succeeded the Eiryaku era and was followed by the Chōkan era; for related entries see the pages on Eiryaku and Chōkan. The era falls in a politically active phase of the late Heian court when military clans such as the Taira were consolidating power after the Heiji Rebellion (1159–1160).

Name and meaning

The two kanji of Ōhō, 応 (often read ô or ō, with meanings like "respond" or "accord") and 保 (hō, "protect" or "preserve"), reflect the classical practice of choosing auspicious characters for a nengō. Such selections were intended to invoke stability, protection, or renewal, though the precise reasoning for adopting any particular combination was set by court scholars and officials.

Significance and legacy

As a brief era lasting roughly eighteen months, Ōhō is not associated with a large number of singled-out historical events in popular narratives, but it is useful for dating documents and chronicles from the early 1160s. Historians and archivists rely on the nengō framework to place legal records, court diaries, temple inscriptions, and family chronicles within the sequence of imperial years.

Practical details

• Era: Ōhō (応保)
• Start: September 1161
• End: March 1163
• Emperor: Nijō (二条天皇)

For those researching Japanese chronology, era names like Ōhō are an entry point into the calendar systems, court culture, and documentary practices of the Heian period. See linked entries above for the immediately preceding and following eras and for general information about nengō usage (nengō).