was a after Kōgen and before Shōgen. This period spanned the years from March 1257 to March 1259. The reigning emperor was . Change of era 1257 : The new era name was created to mark an event or a number of events. The previous era ended and a new one commenced in Kōgen 2. Events of the Shōka era 1257 (Shōka 1): A major epidemic. Notes References Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ; OCLC 58053128 Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Nihon Odai Ichiran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. OCLC 5850691 Varley, H. Paul. (1980). A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chikafusa. New York: Columbia University Press. ; OCLC 6042764 External links National Diet Library, "The Japanese Calendar" -- historical overview plus illustrative images from library's collection Japanese eras 1250s in Japan