This creative depiction of Japan’s new era will play tricks on your mind and your eyes.
Japan has been abuzz with the recent news of the naming of Japan’s upcoming era, Reiwa. We’ve known about the Emperor Hirohito’s abdication for a while now, but we didn’t know until the start of this month that that the following reign would be called Reiwa, or “beautiful harmony,” according to the government’s official English translation.
People have been commemorating the announcement with everything from calligraphy to making anime characters based off the new name. Twitter user @tdaiki1216, meanwhile, chose to create a piece of wire art that acts as a 3-D representation of the passage of time.
祝! 新元号「令和」
— 蔦本大樹/Tsutamoto Daiki (@tdaiki1216) April 1, 2019
カッコいい!#令和 pic.twitter.com/83EMU1Yhhs
The first few seconds of the video show a piece of wire art that reads “Heisei” (平成), or the name of Japan’s current era. However, when the wire art is rotated to a certain angle, it reveals itself to also be a perfect replica of the kanji characters for “Reiwa” (令和).
Twitter users were impressed with its timeliness just as much as its impact, seeing as the video was posted just hours after the official announcement.
“Wow!! You made this in such a short amount of time?”
“I’m shaking…I’m shaking!”
“The ages turn.”
“Crafts like this can be so cool!”
@tdaiki1216 followed up on his original Tweet with an additional comment about wire art a few days later.
沢山のリツイート、いいねありがとうございます!
— 蔦本大樹/Tsutamoto Daiki (@tdaiki1216) April 4, 2019
針金は本作のようなトリックアートだけでなく、使い方次第で多種多様な表現ができるとてもおもしろい素材なので、この「令和」をきっかけに少しでも興味を持っていただけると幸いです。
“Thank you for so many retweets! Wire can be used not only as trick art like I did here; it has a lot of different uses and expressions depending on how you use it, making it a very versatile material! I hope some of you become interested in wire art after seeing this Reiwa piece.”
We’re excited to see how else Reiwa will be celebrated while enjoying our commemorative gold-leaf seasoned potato chips.
Source: Twitter/@tdaiki1216 via Japaaan
Featured image: Twitter/@tdaiki1216
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Four new era names the Japanese government rejected before deciding on Reiwa
Japan announces new era name, Reiwa, but what does it mean and why was it chosen?
How do you say “Happy New Era” in Japanese?
Twitter users say Japanese Prime Minister’s name is hiding in the kanji for Japan’s new era name
End of the Heisei Era: Japanese government to announce new era name on 1 April
Japanese-style afternoon tea in this Japanese manor house outside downtown Tokyo is something special
New Totoro carabiner pouches are ready to clip/tag along with you on all your adventures[Photos]
We accidentally turned our cheap country house into a “gaming house” for Christmas【SoraHouse】
Tearing down the ceiling at our cheap Japanese house in the countryside【SoraHouse】
Fukuoka man survives fall overboard from ferry by swimming to deserted island
Exhibition on the 1,500 year-history of traditional Japanese women’s clothing to open in Shibuya
Kinotake Mother AI developed to study Japan’s divide between chocolate cookie snacks
Creating an open-air hot spring bath (without a hot spring) at our cheap Japanese country house【Vids】
Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now open
Why don’t black-and-white cats have light-coloured backs and black bellies?
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Injuries on stairs in Tokyo highlight an overlooked design flaw
Move aside, convenience store egg sando – there’s a better version of the iconic sandwich in Japan
Japanese government wants overseas anime market to roughly triple in 10 years, but are they crazy?
Japanese bento shop sells croquettes for 13 cents, but are they any good?
Japan’s popular bead bonsai kit is as beautiful as it is gruelling to make
Starbucks Japan releases FIVE new Frappuccinos in a day, and we try them all in 90 minutes
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says