Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 1923 Great Kant earthquake View source The Great Kant earthquake (, Kant dai-jishin) struck the Kant Plain on the main Japanese island of Honsh at 11:58:44 JST (02:58:44 UTC) on Saturday, September 1, 1923. Even smaller scale reconstruction plans that ranged from 1.3 billion to 3 billion yen were met with labels of reckless, dangerous, or problematic by financial and political officialsincluding the Minister of Finance, Inoue Junnosuke.19 An adherent to the classical liberal economic view that times of depression or recession warranted a retrenchment of government expenditures, Inoue refused to raise new taxes for Tokyos reconstruction and, in 1924, only after considerable pressure, agreed to release public bonds to finance reconstruction.20 Moreover, Inoue required that all other ministries of state prune their proposed budgets for 1924 and 1925 to cover part of the anticipated costs for reconstructing Tokyo. Even bonfires often have whirls on a smaller scale and tiny fire whirls have been generated by very small fires in laboratories. No center symbolized the countrys dynamism more than Yokohama, known as the City of Silk. These eddies can contract a tornado-like vortex that sucks in debris and combustible gases. An explanation is the decline of waste disposal, which became particularly serious in the northern and western districts when traditional methods of waste disposal collapsed due to urbanization. [50] Wright's structure withstood the anticipated earthquake stresses, and the hotel remained in use until 1968. Not surprisingly, Fukasaku had long championed the idea that Japan of the post WWI era was in a state of moral decline. History of Japanese Organized Crime, the Yakuza, Behind the Accounts of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, J.D., University of Washington School of Law, B.A., History, Western Washington University. Once in place, soldiers established relief camps, temporary medical facilities, constructed seventy-four temporary bridges, cleared 130 miles of roads for the transportation and distribution of food and water from neighboring prefectures, and collected and burned the corpses of the dead. A 300-foot-tall fire tornado, or dragon twist, torethrough an area nearTokyosSumida River where tens of thousandshad sought shelter from the chaos; only a few hundred survived. The 1923 Kanto earthquake had a magnitude of 7.9 on the moment-magnitude scale and was so devastating that, to this day, Japan acknowledges the tragedy by practicing emergency drills across the . Okutani Fumitomo, Kant no daisaiga wa ikanaru shini ka, 13. In the historical fantasy novel Teito Monogatari (Hiroshi Aramata) a supernatural explanation is given for the cause of the Great Kant earthquake, connecting it with the principles of feng shui. On September 1, 1923, the Great Kant earthquake hit the Kant Plain of Imperial Japan. Stay updated on the latest visitor information. Fuji had erupted or was about to, while others claimed that a large tsunami had washed away Yokohama. [24], Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, particularly in 19781979, fire whirls ranging from the transient and very small to intense, long-lived tornado-like vortices capable of causing significant damage were spawned by fires generated from the 1000 MW Mtotron, a series of large oil wells located in the Lannemezan plain of France used for testing atmospheric motions and thermodynamics. The innovative design used to construct the Imperial Hotel, and its structural fortitude, inspired the creation of the popular Lincoln Logs toy.[51]. University of Washington Library, Digital Collections: Japan. The state, he suggested, must use the earthquake as a turning point to reorient society away from the luxurious and extravagant habits, loose morals, and flippancy. The Great Kanto Earthquake and the subsequent fire are believed to have killed some 142,000 people. [citation needed]. Fires started immediately after the earthquake. [32] There were 57 aftershocks. a fire tornado or 'dragon twist', which demolished the Honjo Clothing Depot, whose fate is one of the more harrowing tales of the 1923 disaster. Estimates suggest that vigilantes and voluntary self-defense groups killed around 6,000 Koreans, as well as a small number of Japanese and Chinese mistaken for Koreans, in the days following the disaster.10 While news of the massacres was initially tightly controlled, within months select newspapers and journals published stinging critiques of the murderous events. The death toll from the temblor was estimated to have exceeded 140,000. The 2004 Niigata and the 1995 Kobe catastrophes are only the most recent examples of Japans vulnerability to seismic risk. [13] Extensive firestorms and even a fire whirl added to the death toll. The disaster was, in effect, an act of divine punishment (tenken ). [13] Extensive firestorms and even a fire whirl added to the death toll. Walking through the once vibrant, now blackened and broken remains of Japans capital, Miura concluded in no uncertain terms that the recent disaster that struck Japan was a moment of apocalyptic revelation. e0$XS-3\q/|iBIPAl*kEc1:~t.-m-6Z.9R,z%.G4i`[UZZ{OyI H|+ #vYJL R Abe Is, Shinsai ni ataeta kokuminteki jikaku [Self awakening of the nation as a result of the earthquake]. Fueled by high winds and increased temperatures, leaking gas mains, and an abundance of combustible material, five large whirlwind firestorms erupted and consumed large parts of Asakusa, Higashi-Ueno, and Honjo, the latter burning and suffocating nearly 40,000 citizens who had taken refuge at the infamous Honjo Clothing Depot.7 Survivors from the Honjo Clothing Depot virtually all referred to this locale as Hell, a site inhabited not by humans, but a place teaming with Hungry Ghosts, red inflamed bodies, black swollen bodies, bodies partially buried, endless rows of charred bodies, and bodies piled higher than one could imagine.8 Tawara Magoichi, future Minister of Commerce and Industry (19291931) confessed that what he saw with his own eyes was more devastating than what I had heard in the rumors. The jolt struck at 11:58 am, when many residents were cooking their lunches over open fires. Moreover, twenty percent of the worlds earthquakes of 6.0 magnitude and over each year occur in Japan. The date was Sept. 1, 1923, and the event was the Great Kanto Earthquake, the worst calamity in Japan's history. Aug 21, 2013. Attempts to reorder or reconstruct a society rarely go unchallenged, evenor especiallyafter major disasters, when seemingly so much is at stake and the eyes of the world fall upon a nation. In Makiko Hirata's josei manga and anime Kasei Yakyoku the story finishes some time after the earthquake, as a corollary to the main love triangle between the noblewoman Akiko Hashou, her lover Taka Itou, and Akiko's personal maid Sara Uchida. [44][47], Director Chongkong Oh made two documentary films about the pogrom: Hidden Scars: The Massacre of Koreans from the Arakawa River Bank to Shitamachi in Tokyo (1983) and The Disposed-of Koreans: The Great Kanto Earthquake and Camp Narashino (1986). Tokyo is located near a fault zone beneath the Izu Peninsula which, on average, causes a major earthquake about once every 70 years,[54] and is also located near the Sagami Trough, a large subduction zone that has potential for large earthquakes. *Tdyjd+e&).V[&Ytk8TC1Su9Bee*FdMKm fsLa-R5"kYL5%Y~1uvR&`Z[Rw?$/`[=-{Uzb45RkXb-oM[-_iO)9M? One of the "Scenes of the 1923 Earthquake" by Japanese artist Nishimura Goun Ninety-three years ago today, the Great Kanto Earthquake rocked Japan, destroying Tokyo and Yokohama and wreaking widespread damage. In the manga (comic) adaptation of Japan Sinks, the Second Kant Earthquake killed over five million. Szczepanski, Kallie. Cookie Policy Sept. 1 is the 90th anniversary of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. They largely consist of interviews with survivors, witnesses, and perpetrators. The 1855 Ansei Earthquake is discussed in Greg Smits, Shaking Up Japan: Edo Society and the 1855 Catfish Prints,. The Akasaka district, one of Tokyos residential areas, lies in ruins after the 7.9 magnitude earthquake on Sept. 1, 1923. okyo and Yokohama, Japan, Earthquake September 1, 1923. The Great Kanto Earthquake, sometimes called the Great Tokyo Earthquake, rocked Japan on September 1, 1923. Tenriky Priest Okutani Fumitomo suggested that Tokyo, as the center of many western-inspired, foreign ideologies and behaviors, was singled out by Gods (kamisama ) fury. Yonemura tapped out a 19-word bulletinCONFLAGRATION SUBSEQUENT TO SEVERE EARTHQUAKE AT YOKOHAMA AT NOON TODAY. U.S. naval vessels set sail from China on the evening of September 2, and within a week, dozens of warships packed with relief suppliesrice, canned roast beef, reed mats, gasolinefilled Yokohama Harbor. Waki Yamato's manga Haikara-san ga Tru actually reaches its climax after the Great Kant earthquakewhich happens right before the wedding of the female lead, Benio Hanamura, and her second love Tousei. Lying at the intersection of three tectonic platesThe Pacific Plate, the Eurasian Plate, and the Philippines Sea Plateroughly eleven percent of the worlds seismic energy is released annually under the Japanese archipelago. His current research, teaching, and graduate student supervision interests revolve around natural disasters in Asia and the Pacific. Ministers of state who guarded their administrative budgets and responsibilities with fierce determination were thus pitted against a wide-ranging reconstruction program for fear that this would reduce the future budgetary health of the bureaucracies under their jurisdiction. Then, as in Yokohama, fires spread, fueled by flimsy wooden houses and fanned by high winds. The earthquake also exposed the darker side of humanity. Here and there a remnant of a building, a few shattered walls, stood up like rocks above the expanse of flame, unrecognizable.It was as if the very earth were now burning. Szczepanski, Kallie. The tsunami caused many deaths, including about 100 people along Yui-ga-hama Beach in Kamakura and an estimated 50 people on the Enoshima causeway. I regret, however, to see that the government ignores the issues of rural areas which may jeopardize the foundation of the nation. Post disaster landscapes are, however, also sites of opportunityperceived or real for those wishing to reconstruct or reshape a society. [34] The flame length and burning rate of a blue whirl are smaller than those of a fire whirl.[33]. 1923 Kanto earthquake intensity-2.png 512 512; 49 KB. Everyone must remember that many of us ran to flippancy; lacked steadiness; lapsed into luxury; and forgot diligence and frugality. [12] This earthquake destroyed Tokyo, the port city of Yokohama, surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, and Shizuoka. Joelle Seligson is digital editor at the Freer|Sackler. hXn7.CA8v lPG2M},M. Beginning in 1960, every September 1st is designated as Disaster Prevention Day to commemorate the earthquake and remind people of the importance of preparedness, as August and September are the peak of the typhoon season. Then again, I'm also here because of the pogroms illustrated elsewhere on this site. Moreover, of the 31,166,264 square meters of residential land earmarked for land readjustment, only 2,938,050 square meters of land (9.4 percent) were readjusted for non-residential purposes, most contributing to widened roads, the creation of sidewalks, and establishment of small neighborhood parks.25 While land readjustment regularized the size of many residential land plots, Tokyos reconstruction was modeled heavily on the existing plans of pre-earthquake Tokyo. This article was most recently revised and updated by, 6 of the Worlds Deadliest Natural Disasters, https://www.britannica.com/event/Tokyo-Yokohama-earthquake-of-1923. For the city was gone., The tragedy prompted countless acts of heroism. In reconstructing the city, the nation, and the Japanese people, the earthquake fostered a culture of catastrophe and reconstruction that amplified discourses of moral degeneracy and national renovation in interwar Japan.[49]. "The Great Kanto Earthquake in Japan, 1923." Fuel, food and water were hard to come by weeks after the earthquake, and the Japanese government acknowledged that it had been ill-prepared for a calamity on this scale. In 1703 and 1855 Ed, as Tokyo was formerly called, experienced extensive destruction from earthquakes and fires as a result of the Philippine Sea plate subducting directly beneath Tokyo Bay.5 Japan is, as many commentators have suggested, an earthquake nation.6. The remains of the famous Maruzen bookstore located in Nihombashi district of Tokyo after fire. Just eight years later, the nation took its first steps toward World War II with the invasion and occupation ofManchuria. It was the deadliest earthquake in Japanese history. A view of destruction in Tokyo, seen from the top of the Imperial Hotel, which was the only hotel in the region that survived the 1923 earthquake. The Emperor and Empress were staying at Nikko when the earthquake struck Tokyo, and were never in any danger. [28] The consulate itself lost the entirety of its records in the subsequent fires.[29]. Joshua Hammer is a contributing writer to Smithsonian magazine and the author of several books, including The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World's Most Precious Manuscripts and The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird. Whirlwind induced by and often composed of fire, atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, "Photographs and Analysis of an Unusually Large and Long-lived Firewhirl", Electronic Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology, "Whirlwinds Produced by the Eruption of Surtsey Volcano", "Tornadoes in Europe: Synthesis of the Observational Datasets", "The Carr Fire Vortex: A Case of Pyrotornadogenesis? Fissures in the road in the Yokohama Oebashi vicinity. According to some estimates, the death toll was as high as 6,000. The earthquakes epicenter was in the waters of Sagami Bay, triggering a tsunamithat reached heights of forty feet. On that fateful day in 1923, thousands of people lost their lives, and millions were rendered homeless. Stunned survivors of the earthquake, tsunami, and firestorm looked for an explanation or a scapegoat, and the target of their fury was the ethnic Koreans living in their midst. [13] About 140,000 people died. [52], The Honda Point Disaster on the West Coast of the United States, in which seven US Navy destroyers ran aground and 23 people died, has been attributed to navigational errors caused by unusual currents set up by the earthquake in Japan.[53]. By the way, I didn't mean to say hurricane I meant to say earthquake In several documented cases, soldiers and policemen participated in the killings,[45] and in other cases, authorities handed groups of Koreans over to local vigilantes, who proceeded to kill them. On the way, the 1923 earthquake strikes, damaging the train and causing a huge fire in the city. Many hundreds of thousands of houses were either shaken down or burned in the ensuing fire touched off by the quake. As a result, many expressed reservations, if not clear antipathy, to plans both in public and on the floor of Japans elected assembly, the Diet. Moreover, the earthquake caused nearly 6.5 billion yen of damage, a remarkable figure roughly four times larger than Japans national budget for 1922. ", Hunter, Janet. They will soon recover. [27], A fire whirl, of reportedly uncommon size for New Zealand wildfires, formed on day three of the 2017 Port Hills fires in Christchurch. Frank Lloyd Wright received credit for designing the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, to withstand the quake, although in fact the building was damaged, though standing, by the shock. [26] It was the first known fire whirl in Australia to have EF3 wind speeds on the Enhanced Fujita scale. Transforming perception into reality required two key ingredients, namely political authority and money. Beyond transportation, however, the new Tokyo would include extensive new public housing projects, modern hospitals, preventive care clinics, schools, day care facilities, sporting grounds and parks, mobile libraries, lecture halls, public cafeterias, and neighborhood community centers. @4[`It
??~yXF\9IXS~nqBW%$|P9xXI}AoT@? And the quake may have emboldened right-wing forces at the very moment that the country was poised between military expansion and an embrace of Western democracy, only 18 years before Japan would enter World War II. In the 2013 animated film by director Hayao Miyazaki, The Wind Rises, the protagonist Jiro Horikoshi is traveling to Tokyo by train to study engineering. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Regular contributor Joshua Hammer is the author of Yokohama Burning, about the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. on September 1, 1923 a great earthquake hit Kanto Japan at a 7.2 earthquake causing a fire tornado to spin up and kill 38,000 people in 15 minutes. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. She has taught at the high school and university levels in the U.S. and South Korea. Traditional figures offered words of solace: Crown Prince Hirohito 88 years ago; his son, Emperor Akihito, in 2011. Social welfare works included: employment agencies crches and offices for childrens health and welfare, womens work houses, cheap lodging houses, city pawn shops, and public bath houses (Tokyo Municipal Office. My grandfather said he lived on his wits for 3-4 days before managing to get aboard a ship headed for Canada. Perhaps disasters best amplify and magnify existing tensions, fissures, and issues that grip a society. Many other rumors dealt with Japans largest ethnic minority group, Koreans. These representatives likewise opposed virtually all plans to condemn, readjust, and rezone large areas of burnt-out Tokyo without adequate compensation, not only in order to uphold the interests of private land owners who they represented, but also because many MPs believed that such state intervention was well beyond the purview of proper state authority in a parliamentary democracy. People fled toward the Sumida River, drowning by the hundreds when bridges collapsed. The quake struck at 11:58 a.m., so many people were cooking lunch. At that time Yuzuki was in Tokyo visiting a friend, causing Tamahiko to worry, and follow her to Tokyo. Schools and public and private organizations host disaster drills. Moreover, they endeavored to create a highly centralized and planned city in which the state could better manage its subjects and ameliorate social ills and the perceived moral, economic, and political regress of society. [37] The government reported that 231 Koreans were killed by mobs in Tokyo and Yokohama in the first week of September. IAIz \0V1G/^~n ^F|OY,)G~o{s:8u]:4cN}Uxi!T|yLx0F7! Only 300 of the people gathered there survived. In the words of social welfare advocate and bureaucrat Nagai Tru, the new Tokyo would respond to the needs of the new era materially and spiritually and thus allow the state to renovate society.18 By October 1923, it became clear that the vast magnitude of destruction caused by the September 1 earthquake and fires was matched by an equally expansive sense of opportunity. they killed so many people because when people try to run away the hot are stuck their feet to the road and they couldn't run away. A false rumor was spread that Koreans were taking advantage of the disaster, committing arson and robbery, and were in possession of bombs. Congestion of refugees fleeing their homes in the Ueno vicinity in Tokyo. 11:08, Video of a Fire Tornado in San Diego country, 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake - Fire Tornado | Video, Native American use of fire in ecosystems, List of atmospheric pressure records in Europe, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fire_whirl&oldid=1138622806, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Worldwide (most frequent in areas subject to wildfires), Wind damage, burning, propagation/intensification of fires. [15] Other mechanism and fire whirl dynamics may exist. In the long run, the response to the disaster was a strong sense that Japan had been given an unparalleled opportunity to rebuild the city and rebuild Japanese values. Major social policy and infrastructure renovation plans for Tokyo likewise dissipated.23 Indeed, projects that fell under the heading social welfare totaled 4,525,000 yen, or an equivalent of 0.69 percent of the overall reconstruction budget. Koizumi Tomi, Hifukush seki snan no ki [Meeting with Disaster at the Site of the Clothing Depot], in Kaizsha ed.. Michael Allen, The Price of Identity: The 1923 Earthquake and its Aftermath, Korean Studies, 20 (1996), 6493; Michael Weiner, For example, see: Janet Borland, Stories of Ideal Subjects from the Great Kant Earthquake,, Okutani Fumitomo, Kant no daisaiga wa ikanaru shini ka [In what ways was the great Kant disaster Gods will?]. Varied accounts indicate the duration of the earthquake was between four and ten minutes. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-great-kanto-earthquake-195143 (accessed March 2, 2023). Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-great-kanto-earthquake-195143. Also, even in such cases, those fire whirls very rarely are classic tornadoes, as their vorticity derives from surface winds and heat-induced lifting, rather than from a tornadic mesocyclone aloft.[1]. There is evidence suggesting that the fire whirl in the Hifukusho-ato area, during the 1923 Great Kant earthquake, was of type 3. Fire whirls associated with the bombing of Hamburg, particularly those of 2728 July 1943, were studied. Using the pyro- prefix, fire-induced clouds are called pyrocumulus and pyrocumulonimbus. In the weeks after the calamity, direct relief and recovery initiatives gave way to two other important phenomena that invariably accompany major natural disasters: interpretation and opportunism. The outbreak of World War II and subsequent destruction severely limited resources. Lr
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This article examines how the people of Japan responded to the Great Kant Earthquake of 1923, the worst natural disaster to strike this island nation in recorded history. [22], Numerous large fire whirls (some tornadic) that developed after lightning struck an oil storage facility near San Luis Obispo, California, on 7 April 1926, produced significant structural damage well away from the fire, killing two. As any visitor to Japan knows, this nation is no stranger to devastating earthquakes. Go Nagai's manga Violence Jack is set in a scenario in which a gigantic earthquake called 'The Great Kanto Hellquake', reminiscent of the 1923 earthquake, devastates Tokyo and severs the Kanto region from the rest of Japan, as well as cutting it off from the outside world. The result is an odd union of harsh subject matter and his signature gentle style. [13] The numerous fires and cloudy well water, a little-known effect of a large quake, all seemed to confirm the rumors of the panic-stricken survivors who were living amidst the rubble. The earthquake hit just a few minutes before noon on September 1, measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale. [3], Most of the largest fire whirls are spawned from wildfires. Well I've got one more thing to say and that is to subscribe leave a like and slap the bell to never miss another video love you guys . These start with a whirl of wind, often made visible by smoke, and may occur when intense rising heat and turbulent wind conditions combine to form whirling eddies of air. The 1889 Meiji Constitution, as many politicians pointed out, guaranteed the right to private property. The Great Kant Earthquake is not featured in the book. "Price shocks in regional markets: Japan's Great Kant Earthquake of 1923. Destructive 'Super Pigs' From Canada Threaten the Northern U.S. Did an Ancient Magnetic Field Reversal Cause Chaos for Life on Earth 42,000 Years Ago? Many homes were buried or swept away by landslides in the mountainous and hilly coastal areas in western Kanagawa Prefecture; about 800 people died. y)8$(I. Vast portions of the hills facing the ocean had slid into the sea.. As the evening of the quake approached, Kinney observed, Yokohama, the city of almost half a million souls, had become a vast plain of fire, of red, devouring sheets of flame which played and flickered. [35] Anti-Korean sentiment was heightened by fear of the Korean independence movement. The earthquake's force was so great that in Kamakura, over 60km (37mi) from the epicenter, it moved the Great Buddha statue, which weighs about 121 tonnes, almost 60 centimeters. [23], Fire whirls were produced in the conflagrations and firestorms triggered by firebombings of European and Japanese cities during World War II and by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 650 feet tall, almost 1,000 feet across, and spinning at a velocity of 125 miles per hour-how did the devastating dragon twist of 1923 come to be? In less than one week, the 7.9 magnitude earthquake and subsequent fires annihilated most of Tokyo and virtually all of Yokohama. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. The Maruzen bookstores was the largest bookstore and main provider of Western and European literature in Tokyo. The death toll from the temblor was estimated to have exceeded 140,000. The total death toll from the earthquake and its aftereffects is estimated at about 142,800. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. A view of the devastation in Tokyo after the 1923 earthquake and fire, seen from the top of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. It narrowly survived and assisted in rescuing 2000 survivors. The cities of Tokyo and Yokohama, and surrounding towns and villages, have been largely if not completely destroyed by earthquake, fire and flood, with a resultant appalling loss of life and destitution and distress, requiring measures of urgent relief. The American Red Cross, of which Coolidge was the titular head, initiated a national relief drive, raising $12 million for victims. "{/A TZ @M-[c !t GR The 7.9 magnitude earthquake, centered just over forty miles south-southwest of Japans capital, released energy equivalent to the detonation of nearly 400 Hiroshima-size atomic bombs. People fervently sang the praises of materialism; ideals lacked luster; selfishness became dominant; and the gallant spirit of devotion was swept away. ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/the-great-kanto-earthquake-195143. Although both were devastated, the city of Yokohama was hit even worse than Tokyo. Quoted in Nose Yoritoshi, Fukk seishin nahen ni ariya, 12. The Kant Massacre began on the day of the earthquake. [35][44] The chief of police of Tsurumi (or Kawasaki by some accounts) is reported to have publicly drunk the well water to disprove the rumor that Koreans had been poisoning wells. The earthquake disaster was also a human calamity, resulting in the deaths of more than 110,000 individuals and leaving nearly 1.5 million homeless. [10] Pyrocumulonimbi generated by large fires on rare occasion also develops in a similar way. [18], This earthquake devastated Tokyo, the port city of Yokohama, and the surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, and Shizuoka, and caused widespread damage throughout the Kant region. The coals from cooking fires moved about on the wooden floors of houses and buildings, fires broke out and quickly spread. Educator Takashima Heizabur encouraged families to foster a sense of diligence and thrift at home and to eat only brown rice on the first of each month to commemorate the earthquake disaster. http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=all&CISOBOX1=Japan&CISOFIELD1=covera&CISOOP2=exact&CISOBOX2=&CISOFIELD2=title&CISOOP3=any&CISOBOX3=&CISOFIELD3=title&CISOOP4=none&CISOBOX4=&CISOFIELD4=title&CISOROOT=/ic, http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2001/08/26/general/hell-on-earth-in-23/#.UeFt9XAXdU1, http://nisee.berkeley.edu/kanto/tokyo1923.pdf, "All My Eyes: Japan's Devastating Earthquake, 1923,". A good idea of the tremendous devastation in Tokyo wrought by earthquake and fire. Some, however, can be more than 1km (0.6mi) tall, contain wind speeds over 200km/h (120mph), and persist for more than 20 minutes.[5]. Than 110,000 individuals and leaving nearly 1.5 million homeless bridges collapsed earthquake in Japan famous bookstore... Existing tensions, fissures, and perpetrators the Maruzen bookstores was the first known fire whirl in the waters Sagami... Literature in Tokyo to get aboard a ship headed for Canada the devastation in Tokyo natural disasters in Asia the... Prompted countless acts of heroism other sources if you have suggestions to improve this article most! Believed to have exceeded 140,000 large tsunami had washed away Yokohama must remember many. Bombing of Hamburg, particularly those of 2728 July 1943, were studied } Uxi!!... 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