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The 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake: The History and Legacy of the Earthquake That Destroyed Tokyo
*Includes pictures
*Includes accounts of the earthquake and subsequent fires by survivors
*Includes a bibliography for further reading
*Includes a table of contents
Of the numerous disasters, both natural and man-made, to strike Japan during the 20th century, the Great Kantō Earthquake was among the worst, and the most significant. The massive earthquake struck the Japanese capital region, including the cities of Tokyo and Yokohama, shortly before noon on Saturday, September 1, 1923, causing immense physical destruction. Buildings collapsed, crushing their occupants, and a tsunami assaulted miles of coastline, depositing boats well inland and dragging people, structures, and debris out to sea. In both Tokyo and Yokohama, the tremors set off firestorms that raged for days across the dense, wooden cityscapes. In all, the earthquake left perhaps 140,000 dead and more than 2 million homeless, transforming East Asia’s most prosperous and modern urban area into a scorched, burned-out wasteland. On the day of the earthquake, according to the Buddhist figure Takashima Beihō, “Nature raged all at once, collapsing the pillars of the sky and snapping the axis of the earth. The big city of Tokyo, the largest in the Orient, at the zenith of its prosperity, burned down and melted away over two days and three nights.”
Together, the earthquake and firestorm killed somewhere between 100,000 and 150,000, left more than a million homeless, and destroyed billions of yen worth of property. The best estimates are that up to 75% of all buildings in Tokyo were destroyed or seriously damaged, and while all of Tokyo was afflicted, the low city especially suffered. The five city wards in which damage was greatest (90% or more) were all located in the low city. The proud neighborhoods around Nihonbashi and Kyōbashi were particularly gutted, and many symbols of the Mieji-era shitamachi, such as the original Shinbashi Station, the Mitsukoshi Department Store, the Asakusa Twelve-Stories, were destroyed in the conflagration. A few other emblematic buildings survived, most notably the Asakusa Kannon and, famously, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel, but the earthquake truly marked the beginning of the end of the low city’s preeminence as a center for culture and entertainment.
Of course, the significance of the Great Kantō Earthquake was not restricted to the material destruction it caused. In the immediate wake of the disaster, anarchy reigned through the streets of Tokyo, and before the last of the firestorms had even been extinguished, panicked residents spread rumors and gathered into armed vigilante groups, ultimately leading to thousands of deaths by mob violence. Police and municipal authorities found themselves powerless in the face of this chaos, and order was only restored when the Japanese government declared martial law and sent in the army to occupy the nation’s own capital. Thus, the unrest following the Great Kantō Earthquake served at once to exacerbate tensions between Japan and its Korean colony, and it also burnished the reputation of the Japanese military as the one national institution upon which a troubled people could depend in a time of crisis. These developments would ultimately serve the nation poorly as it headed towards World War II.
It’s also important to consider the international significance of the Great Kantō Earthquake. In 1923, Japan was a developed industrial economy, a constitutional monarchy, and an imperial center, all of which made it a member of the exclusive club of “Great Powers,” so the aftershocks of the great disaster, both metaphorical and real, were felt well beyond Japan’s national borders.
*Includes accounts of the earthquake and subsequent fires by survivors
*Includes a bibliography for further reading
*Includes a table of contents
Of the numerous disasters, both natural and man-made, to strike Japan during the 20th century, the Great Kantō Earthquake was among the worst, and the most significant. The massive earthquake struck the Japanese capital region, including the cities of Tokyo and Yokohama, shortly before noon on Saturday, September 1, 1923, causing immense physical destruction. Buildings collapsed, crushing their occupants, and a tsunami assaulted miles of coastline, depositing boats well inland and dragging people, structures, and debris out to sea. In both Tokyo and Yokohama, the tremors set off firestorms that raged for days across the dense, wooden cityscapes. In all, the earthquake left perhaps 140,000 dead and more than 2 million homeless, transforming East Asia’s most prosperous and modern urban area into a scorched, burned-out wasteland. On the day of the earthquake, according to the Buddhist figure Takashima Beihō, “Nature raged all at once, collapsing the pillars of the sky and snapping the axis of the earth. The big city of Tokyo, the largest in the Orient, at the zenith of its prosperity, burned down and melted away over two days and three nights.”
Together, the earthquake and firestorm killed somewhere between 100,000 and 150,000, left more than a million homeless, and destroyed billions of yen worth of property. The best estimates are that up to 75% of all buildings in Tokyo were destroyed or seriously damaged, and while all of Tokyo was afflicted, the low city especially suffered. The five city wards in which damage was greatest (90% or more) were all located in the low city. The proud neighborhoods around Nihonbashi and Kyōbashi were particularly gutted, and many symbols of the Mieji-era shitamachi, such as the original Shinbashi Station, the Mitsukoshi Department Store, the Asakusa Twelve-Stories, were destroyed in the conflagration. A few other emblematic buildings survived, most notably the Asakusa Kannon and, famously, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel, but the earthquake truly marked the beginning of the end of the low city’s preeminence as a center for culture and entertainment.
Of course, the significance of the Great Kantō Earthquake was not restricted to the material destruction it caused. In the immediate wake of the disaster, anarchy reigned through the streets of Tokyo, and before the last of the firestorms had even been extinguished, panicked residents spread rumors and gathered into armed vigilante groups, ultimately leading to thousands of deaths by mob violence. Police and municipal authorities found themselves powerless in the face of this chaos, and order was only restored when the Japanese government declared martial law and sent in the army to occupy the nation’s own capital. Thus, the unrest following the Great Kantō Earthquake served at once to exacerbate tensions between Japan and its Korean colony, and it also burnished the reputation of the Japanese military as the one national institution upon which a troubled people could depend in a time of crisis. These developments would ultimately serve the nation poorly as it headed towards World War II.
It’s also important to consider the international significance of the Great Kantō Earthquake. In 1923, Japan was a developed industrial economy, a constitutional monarchy, and an imperial center, all of which made it a member of the exclusive club of “Great Powers,” so the aftershocks of the great disaster, both metaphorical and real, were felt well beyond Japan’s national borders.
57 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 26, 2014
21 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 8, 2017
Quite a good little history, in particular in regards to the photos.
January 16, 2023
كتاب قصير حول تاريخ طوكيو وكارثة الزلزال الكبير الذي دمر المدينة في العام 1923.
May 6, 2023
I’m not really sure what made me claim a code to this listen, as it’s very random, but it did prove interesting.
I learned a few random facts about Japan and it’s history—I’ve no complaints about the hour or so I spent listening to this book while working. Assuming everything was accurate, it seems fairly well researched and organized.
4 stars.
Audio:
Not good.
Voice: unpleasant.
Delivery: robot-like.
Production-quality: Poor. There was a great deal of background noise, static, etc.
If you’re interested in this content, I’d see about print or ebook. SAVE YOURSELF from the terrible audio. 0 stars on this front.
I learned a few random facts about Japan and it’s history—I’ve no complaints about the hour or so I spent listening to this book while working. Assuming everything was accurate, it seems fairly well researched and organized.
4 stars.
Audio:
Not good.
Voice: unpleasant.
Delivery: robot-like.
Production-quality: Poor. There was a great deal of background noise, static, etc.
If you’re interested in this content, I’d see about print or ebook. SAVE YOURSELF from the terrible audio. 0 stars on this front.
September 12, 2019
The introduction to the book started out with the areas affected by the earthquake and the estimated figures of their losses, both in human casualties and infrastructure loss from the earthquake itself, and the subsequent fires and tsunamis.
The actual story content begins with the history of some of the main areas affected, the civil wars and changeover in governments, and how the cities got their modern names, particularly the city of Edo becoming Tokyo. While I found this part less interesting, I understand the authors point in including it.
As to why I gave the book 5 stars, it had to do with the description of the aftermath of the earthquake and the people's desperation in trying to escape the subsequent fires. I thought that the author did a great job in capturing the human element of the disaster. You could really understand what the people must have felt in their desperate plight to stay alive, the confusion due to the lack of visibility caused by the heavy smoke, and if they did escape the fires, their desperation in trying to survive afterwards with absolutely nothing left.
The actual story content begins with the history of some of the main areas affected, the civil wars and changeover in governments, and how the cities got their modern names, particularly the city of Edo becoming Tokyo. While I found this part less interesting, I understand the authors point in including it.
As to why I gave the book 5 stars, it had to do with the description of the aftermath of the earthquake and the people's desperation in trying to escape the subsequent fires. I thought that the author did a great job in capturing the human element of the disaster. You could really understand what the people must have felt in their desperate plight to stay alive, the confusion due to the lack of visibility caused by the heavy smoke, and if they did escape the fires, their desperation in trying to survive afterwards with absolutely nothing left.
August 3, 2019
Heroic and Heartbreaking
This account of the Kantō Earthquake of 1923 shows both the heroics and the heartbreak of the Japanese people. Even though it is very concise, the human spirit shines through.
This account of the Kantō Earthquake of 1923 shows both the heroics and the heartbreak of the Japanese people. Even though it is very concise, the human spirit shines through.
September 14, 2023
Interesting read about the 1923 Kanto earthquake. I had heard about this for a long, long time and decided to do some research. Great read - the disaster was not only the earthquake but also the fires afterwards and vigilante after the fires.
January 21, 2020
An overview of the Kanto earthquake, including the Korean Incident. Way too many typos for a book written by Charles Rivers "Editors."
November 18, 2020
This was a very interesting, if not short and concise, account of the 1923 earthquake. I got a lot more information about it than I expected from such a short book. Glad I read it.
October 15, 2019
Informative. Good photos. But short. Like this review.
February 7, 2015
Concise history of the Great Kanto EQ
For someone unfamiliar with the Great Kanto Earthquake, this is a very good collection of facts that sequentially tell the story of this 1923 event, through quotes of individual published accounts of personal experiences. It is an excellent starting point for someone needing a quick but thorough overview of this quadruple disaster.
For someone unfamiliar with the Great Kanto Earthquake, this is a very good collection of facts that sequentially tell the story of this 1923 event, through quotes of individual published accounts of personal experiences. It is an excellent starting point for someone needing a quick but thorough overview of this quadruple disaster.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews