Great Fire of Meireki
Encyclopedia
The , also known as the Furisode Fire, destroyed 60-70% of the Japanese capital city of Edo
(now Tokyo
) on March 2, 1657, this is the third year of the Meireki
Imperial era. It lasted for three days, and is estimated to have claimed over 100,000 lives.
, in Edo's Hongō
district, and spread quickly through the city, due to hurricane force winds which were blowing from the northwest. Edo, like most Japanese cities and towns at the time, and like most of those in mainland East Asia, was built primarily from wood and paper. The buildings were especially dry due to a drought the previous year, and the roads and other open spaces between buildings were small and narrow, allowing the fire to spread and grow particularly quickly. (Many cities in Europe had similar problems, being built of flammable material and tightly packed; indeed, London was to burn only nine years later
.) Though Edo had a designated fire brigade, the Hikeshi (火消し, "fire extinguishing"), it had been established only 21 years earlier, and was simply not large enough, experienced enough, or well-equipped enough to face such a conflagration.
On the second evening, the winds changed, and the fire was pushed from the southern edges of the city back towards its centre. The homes of the shogun's closest retainers, in Kōjimachi
, were destroyed as the fire made its way towards Edo castle
, at the very centre of the city. Ultimately, the main keep was saved, but most of the outer buildings, and all of the retainers' and servants' homes were destroyed. Finally, on the third day, the winds died down, as did the flames, but thick smoke prevented movement about the city, removal of bodies, and reconstruction, for several days further.
On the 24th day of the new year, six days after the fire began, monks and others began to transport the bodies of those killed down the Sumida River
to Honjō
, a community a short distance outside the city. There, pits were dug and the bodies buried; the Ekō-in
(Hall of Prayer for the Dead) was then built on the site.
Reconstruction efforts took two years, as the shogunate took the opportunity to reorganize the city according to various practical considerations. Under the guidance of Rōjū
Matsudaira Nobutsuna
, streets were widened and some districts replanned and reorganized; special care was taken to restore Edo's mercantile center, thus protecting and boosting to some extent the overall national economy. Commoners and samurai retainers alike were granted funds from the government for the rebuilding of their homes, and the restoration of the shogun's castle was left to be completed last. The area around the castle, as it was restored, was reorganized to leave greater spaces to act as firebreaks; retainers' homes were moved further from the castle, and a number of temples and shrines were relocated to the banks of the river.
One of the greatest disasters in Japanese history, the death and destruction incurred by the Meireki fire was very nearly comparable to that suffered in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake
and the 1945 bombing of Tokyo in World War II
. Each of these 20th century events, like the Meireki fire less than three centuries earlier, saw roughly 100,000 deaths, and the destruction of the majority of the city.
The fire was said to have been started by a Japanese priest who was cremating an alleged unlucky kimono. The kimono had been owned in succession by three teenage girls who all died before ever being able to wear it. Laura Joh Rowland
's 2008 Novel "The Fire Kimono
" , 13th in her Sano Ichiro detective/mystery series set in Edo
revolves around a murder being investigated 43 years after the fire, with many flashbacks and descriptions of a fictionalized version of the events surrounding the fire, and the unlucky kimono said to have started the fire during its cremation, after claiming the lives of three successive teenage wearers. It was a long sleeved kimono, said (in the novel) to have been made and worn to impress a suitor.
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
(now Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
) on March 2, 1657, this is the third year of the Meireki
Meireki
was a after Jōō and before Manji. This period spanned the years from April 1655 to July 1658. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:* 1655 : The era name was changed to mark the enthronement of Emperor Go-Sai...
Imperial era. It lasted for three days, and is estimated to have claimed over 100,000 lives.
History
The fire began on the eighteenth day of the yearJapanese calendar
On January 1, 1873, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar. Before 1873, the Chinese style lunisolar calendar had been in use since 7th century. Japanese eras are still in use.-System:...
, in Edo's Hongō
Hongo
Hongō is a district of Tokyo located in Bunkyō-ku, due north of the Tokyo Imperial Palace and west of Ueno. Hongō was a ward of the former city of Tokyo until 1947, when it merged with another ward, Koishikawa, to form the modern Bunkyō....
district, and spread quickly through the city, due to hurricane force winds which were blowing from the northwest. Edo, like most Japanese cities and towns at the time, and like most of those in mainland East Asia, was built primarily from wood and paper. The buildings were especially dry due to a drought the previous year, and the roads and other open spaces between buildings were small and narrow, allowing the fire to spread and grow particularly quickly. (Many cities in Europe had similar problems, being built of flammable material and tightly packed; indeed, London was to burn only nine years later
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
.) Though Edo had a designated fire brigade, the Hikeshi (火消し, "fire extinguishing"), it had been established only 21 years earlier, and was simply not large enough, experienced enough, or well-equipped enough to face such a conflagration.
On the second evening, the winds changed, and the fire was pushed from the southern edges of the city back towards its centre. The homes of the shogun's closest retainers, in Kōjimachi
Kojimachi
is a neighborhood in Chiyoda, Tokyo.Prior to the arrival of Tokugawa Ieyasu, it was known as . The area developed as townspeople settled along the Kōshū Kaidō. In 1878 Kōjimachi became a ward in the city of Tokyo. It was the forerunner of Chiyoda which is now a special ward.The Kōjimachi ward was...
, were destroyed as the fire made its way towards Edo castle
Edo Castle
, also known as , is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan. It is located in Chiyoda in Tokyo, then known as Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate here. It was the residence of the shogun and location of the shogunate, and also...
, at the very centre of the city. Ultimately, the main keep was saved, but most of the outer buildings, and all of the retainers' and servants' homes were destroyed. Finally, on the third day, the winds died down, as did the flames, but thick smoke prevented movement about the city, removal of bodies, and reconstruction, for several days further.
Sumida River
The is a river which flows through Tokyo, Japan. It branches from the Arakawa River at Iwabuchi and flows into Tokyo Bay. Its tributaries include the Kanda and Shakujii rivers....
to Honjō
Honjo, Saitama
is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 81,267, with 32,685 households and a population density of 905.89 persons per km²...
, a community a short distance outside the city. There, pits were dug and the bodies buried; the Ekō-in
Eko-in
, also known as Honjo Ekōin, is a Pure Land Buddhist temple in Ryōgoku, Tokyo. The formal name of the temple is , reflecting its founding principle of Pariṇāmanā, or the spreading of Amida Buddha's benevolence to all souls of all living creatures.-History:...
(Hall of Prayer for the Dead) was then built on the site.
Reconstruction efforts took two years, as the shogunate took the opportunity to reorganize the city according to various practical considerations. Under the guidance of Rōjū
Roju
The ', usually translated as Elder, was one of the highest-ranking government posts in Tokugawa Japan. The term refers either to individual Elders, or to the Council as a whole; under the first two shoguns, there were only two Rōjū...
Matsudaira Nobutsuna
Matsudaira Nobutsuna
was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period, who ruled the Kawagoe Domain. First serving Tokugawa Iemitsu as a page, Nobutsuna was renowned for his sagacity. He was named a rōjū in 1633. Nobutsuna led the shogunal forces to their final victory over the rebellion at Shimabara...
, streets were widened and some districts replanned and reorganized; special care was taken to restore Edo's mercantile center, thus protecting and boosting to some extent the overall national economy. Commoners and samurai retainers alike were granted funds from the government for the rebuilding of their homes, and the restoration of the shogun's castle was left to be completed last. The area around the castle, as it was restored, was reorganized to leave greater spaces to act as firebreaks; retainers' homes were moved further from the castle, and a number of temples and shrines were relocated to the banks of the river.
One of the greatest disasters in Japanese history, the death and destruction incurred by the Meireki fire was very nearly comparable to that suffered in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kanto earthquake
The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
and the 1945 bombing of Tokyo in World War II
Bombing of Tokyo in World War II
The bombing of Tokyo, often referred to as a "firebombing", was conducted by the United States Army Air Forces during the Pacific campaigns of World War II. The U.S. mounted a small-scale raid on Tokyo in April 1942, with large morale effects...
. Each of these 20th century events, like the Meireki fire less than three centuries earlier, saw roughly 100,000 deaths, and the destruction of the majority of the city.
The fire was said to have been started by a Japanese priest who was cremating an alleged unlucky kimono. The kimono had been owned in succession by three teenage girls who all died before ever being able to wear it. Laura Joh Rowland
Laura Joh Rowland
Laura Joh Rowland is a detective/mystery author best known for her series of mystery novels set in the late days of feudal Japan, mostly in Edo during the late 17th century...
's 2008 Novel "The Fire Kimono
The Fire Kimono
The Fire Kimono is a 2008 mystery novel written by Laura Joh Rowland, set in the Genroku period in Japan. It is the 13th book in the Sano Ichiro series....
" , 13th in her Sano Ichiro detective/mystery series set in Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
revolves around a murder being investigated 43 years after the fire, with many flashbacks and descriptions of a fictionalized version of the events surrounding the fire, and the unlucky kimono said to have started the fire during its cremation, after claiming the lives of three successive teenage wearers. It was a long sleeved kimono, said (in the novel) to have been made and worn to impress a suitor.