Shōhei (era): Southern Court nengō of Japan, 1346–1370

Shōhei (正平) is the Japanese era name (the nengō system) adopted by the Southern Court during the fractious Nanboku-chō era. It began in December 1346 and continued until July 1370. The name Shōhei should not be confused with the earlier homophone era often rendered as Jōhei (931–938); different kanji and historical contexts separate them. The Shōhei era sits within a period of divided imperial authority and extended military contest across Japan.

The era name itself is part of the long-standing practice of nengō, or year names, which were used to mark periods of imperial or courtly rule. Shōhei was proclaimed by the Southern Court during the larger Nanboku-chō struggle between rival imperial lines. It followed the Southern Court's Kōkoku era and preceded the Kentoku era in the same Southern chronology.

Throughout Shōhei the Southern Court claimed legitimate imperial succession; the principal sovereigns associated with this nengō were, in succession, Emperor Go‑Murakami (often referenced as Go‑Murakami) and Emperor Chōkei. These monarchs governed in rivalry with a set of Northern Court claimants installed around the capital in Kyoto. The existence of two concurrent courts produced competing era names and overlapping official records.

Politically the Shōhei years belong to the era's characteristic pattern: armed campaigns, shifting alliances among samurai families, and the ongoing assertion of legitimacy by two courts. The Northern Court, backed by powerful military figures and institutions, is often described in contemporary and later sources as a competing power center; it produced claimants such as those identified by historians as Northern Court pretenders, including figures listed under pretenders in court chronicles.