Article The Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923

[JREF]

This thread is for the general discussion of the Article The Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923. Please add to the discussion here.

 

[JREF]

The article The Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923 has been updated:

Added a video: "Scenes Of Japan's Earthquake Disaster (1923)", British Pathé

 

[thomas]

Newly discovered footage taken in Shizuoka Prefecture after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake is probably among Japan's oldest 35-millimeter records of tsunami damage. The footage, which runs for 13 minutes and 30 seconds, captures, among other things, wrecked homes and a boat stranded on a bridge in what was then the town of Ito, now a major city in Shizuoka Prefecture.

​

Footage shows tsunami damage in Shizuoka after 1923 earthquake | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[thomas]

Today marks 100 years since the Great Kanto Earthquake.

Today, it is 100 years since the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923, the worst natural disaster in the history of Japan. It wiped much of Tokyo and Yokohama off the map and touched millions of people—just the number of homeless people came to almost 2 million. The monetary estimate of the value of the destruction was four times larger than the entire national budget.

The most terrifying result of the earthquake was a surge of devastating fires. Within minutes after the first shock, some 134 fires spread in Tokyo alone. They were caused by overturned charcoal fires set up to cook lunch, ruptured gas lines, as well as explosions of chemicals at laboratories and drugstores.

The fires turned half of Tokyo and most of Yokohama into an empty black wasteland. Almost 90 per cent of the 105,000 victims of the Great Kantō Earthquake burnt to death.

One young woman documented how these fires terrified and destroyed the city around her in a detailed account of her escape. Her name was Nobu Matsumoto. Nobu lived in Tokyo's Honjo Ward (current Kōtō Ward) with her husband Tsurukichi, son Isao, and daughter Shizuko.

Just before noon on Saturday, September 1, the 29-year-old Nobu sat down for lunch with her husband and two children. Usually, she had lunch just with her children. But today, her husband had a day off, and they were looking forward to eating together. They never got the chance. After sitting down, their ordered life descended into unimaginable horror and chaos.

Tokyo, 1923 • Drowning in a Sea of Fire

The Great Kantō Earthquake of September 1, 1923 is the worst natural disaster in the history of Japan. It wiped much of Tokyo and Yokohama off the map.

www.oldphotosjapan.com

Nikkei Asia featured an infographic on the fires that spread across Tokyo after the earthquake.

Paywall alert:

Infographic: How fires spread across Tokyo after quake 100 years ago

Japanese capital marks anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake

asia.nikkei.com

 

[thomas]

Mainichi released a 19-minute video using original material from their "motion picture team", documenting the devastation of Tokyo in the aftermath of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake:

The silent film was shot by photographers including those belonging to the "motion picture team" of the Osaka Mainichi Shimbun, a predecessor of the Mainichi Shimbun. The film, archived by Mainichi Productions, was recently released to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake, one of the worst natural disasters of modern Japan.

It can be watched here:

Mainichi releases video conveying devastation of 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake - The Mainichi

TOKYO -- The Mainichi Shimbun has released a 19-minute video in which reporters documented the devastation facing the capital and its people immediate

mainichi.jp

 

[thomas]

Last Thursday, relatives of Korean victims massacred in the wake of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake demanded that the Japanese government acknowledge the history at a press conference in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.

This is also another instance where Tokyo Gov. (and Nihon Kaigi member) Koike has shown her true colours:

Sept. 1 marked the 100th anniversary of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, yet neither the Japanese government nor the Tokyo Metropolitan Government are willing to sincerely face the history of Koreans and others massacred in the quake's aftermath. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a regular press conference late last month, "We have found no records within the government that would allow us to confirm the facts," and indicated that the government did not intend to reinvestigate the issue. Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike has repeatedly stated in the metropolitan assembly that "it is up to historians to find out what the clear facts are." This year, again, the metropolitan government refused to send a letter of condolence to a ceremony organized by a civic group to commemorate the slain victims.

Editorial: Silence on massacre of Koreans in Japan after 1923 quake is unacceptable - The Mainichi

We must not turn our eyes away from our negative history. Sept. 1 marked the 100th anniversary of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, yet neither the Ja

mainichi.jp

 

[thomas]

Interestingly, it's Mainichi (and not Asahi) pushing the issue of the massacre of Korean and other citizens by blaming former PM Abe, who claimed in 2015 that Japan's "children, grandchildren, or generations after that must not be burdened with the fate of continuing to apologize." While the current (and the previous two governments) claim that no official records on the massacre exist, historians have a different view:

Masataka Tanaka, a specialist in modern Korean history at Tokyo's Senshu University, said, "It's outrageous to say there are no records." He continued, "This government is the only one saying there are 'no records.' Among researchers and those who've investigated the massacre, nobody says anything like that." In fact, historical records of the massacre are stored in places such as the National Diet Library and digitalized materials can be browsed through at the Japan Center for Asian Historical Records, managed by the National Archives of Japan.

Ex-Japan PM Abe's shadow seen in gov't claim it has no records on 1923 Korean massacre - The Mainichi

TOKYO -- In recent remarks, a high-ranking official of the Japanese government implied that no records exist of the massacre of Koreans and others in

mainichi.jp

 

[thomas]

Tōkyō-to Irei Kyōkai (東京都慰霊協会), the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Association, created a database of victims of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and plans to release it within this fiscal year. The association is a public interest incorporated foundation based in Tokyo's Sumida Ward that researches the Great Kanto Earthquake, compiling the old survey forms that record the identities of those who died. The documents had been undisclosed for many years and were not carefully examined, but the group plans to organize them and make the data public on certain conditions.

According to the association and other sources, the survey sheets measure approximately 10 by 15 centimeters, and contain the names, gender, addresses and places of death of the victims. A total of about 50,000 sheets remain, and excluding duplicates, information on 38,826 people has been recorded. The earthquake that occurred on 1 September 1923, left some 105,000 people dead or missing, and about 70,000 people perished in Tokyo alone. It is said that some of the dead were cremated without being identified amid the confusion.

I wonder whether the research also comprises the victims of the ensuing massacres.

Tokyo group creating database of Great Kanto Earthquake victims on 100th anniv. - The Mainichi

TOKYO -- An organization in the capital has been creating a database of victims of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and aims to release it within this

mainichi.jp

 

[thomas]

Until now, Japanese administrations, including PM Kishida's, have always maintained that there were no official records of the slayings of Koreans in the wake of the 1923 earthquake. That has been proven a lie, according to surveys of the Army Ministry conducted in November 1923.

Photo credit:Mainichi​

The Army Ministry carried out the survey in November 1923, about two months after the temblor. The materials were discovered by journalist Nobuyuki Watanabe within the Military Archives at the Ministry of Defense's National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS). The materials show that more than 40 ethnic Koreans among those who were being taken to a police station in what is now Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, ostensibly for their safety, were murdered en masse. Notes include, "A bloodthirsty mob slaughtered every one of them." The report uses a derogatory term for Koreans and refers to the killings as "massacre," "wrongdoing" or "illegal conduct," but also states that Koreans did nothing to provoke the violence, and that there had been no reports of them poisoning wells or starting a fire, as had been rumored. The materials show that the government initially recognized the massacres and conducted broad surveys, in spite of then Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno's remarks this August denying the government possessed any internal documents allowing the truth of the matter to be ascertained.

The massacre was recorded in an "outline of conduct" report. On 4 September 1923, over 200 ethnic Koreans were being transported by car from the Urawa area to police stations in Honjo and Fukaya for their protection. It was reported that as night fell, over 40 who were unable to be transported during the day were massacred in mob killings at several locations within what is now the city of Kumagaya. The racially motivated massacre of ethnic Koreans in Saitama Prefecture occurred later than the large-scale murders in Kanagawa Prefecture and Tokyo. In many cases, mobs attacked those being transported under police protection. In-depth studies by local researchers and others held decades later have placed the number of victims in Saitama Prefecture between 223 and 240, including 30 to 47 yet to be confirmed. The 40-plus victims mentioned in the newly discovered report are among the numbers cited in those studies.

'Bloodthirsty mob': Public record of 1923 post-quake massacre of Koreans in Japan found - The Mainichi

TOKYO -- Public records detailing the massacre of ethnic Koreans in the aftermath of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake that hit Tokyo and surrounding ar

mainichi.jp

 

[thomas]

An Asahi commentary on Okawa Tsunekichi (大川 常吉, 1877-1940), a Yokohama police officer who was sheltering ethnic Koreans from mob madness in Yokohama following the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake as rumours swept the disaster areas that they had poisoned water wells.

Okawa, the Tsurumi police station chief, took Koreans and others gathered at a temple to his police station and protected them from rampaging residents on Sept. 3, two days after the quake, according to a record compiled in 1926 by the prefectural police department. While more than 1,000 angry residents surrounded the police station, Okawa negotiated with influential local figures and arranged for the group to be evacuated by ship, the record states.

A cenotaph honouring Okawa stands at a temple in Tsurumi Ward. It was erected after his death by Koreans whose lives he saved. Efforts to face up to the negative legacy of the event by learning about it and handing down its lessons starkly contrast with the government's position on the matter. It has repeatedly said that no records have been found to establish the facts of the massacre of Koreans.

COMMENTARY/ Remembering man who saved Koreans in 1923 post-quake chaos | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

Read more on Ogawa Tsunekichi:

Poisoned minds

Regarding the Aug. 30 article “Yokohama recalls texts describing 1923 ‘massacre’ of Koreans“: I wonder what’s going through the minds of the folks at the Yokohama Board of Education. According to the story the city’s board of education has recalled a junior high school textbook due to its...

www.japantimes.co.jp

Japanese Policeman Saved 300 Koreans from Massacre

The head a Japanese police station saved the lives of hundreds of Koreans in Japan after the Great…

english.chosun.com

Who is Tsunekichi Okawa? Japanese police officer (1877 - 1940) | Biography, Facts, Information, Life, Career, Wiki

Tsunekichi Okawa: Japanese police officer (1877 - 1940); Police officer; From: Japan

peoplepill.com

朝鮮人虐殺 大川署長の精神はいま 歴史の暗部を照らす存在 | 社会 | カナロコ by 神奈川新聞

朝鮮人が暴動を起こす－。事実無根のデマをもとに多くの無辜（むこ）の命が奪われた悲劇があった。１９２３年の関東大震災直後、横浜でも起きた朝鮮人の虐殺だ。恐慌と迫害の嵐が吹き荒れるなか、朝鮮人をかくまった大川常吉鶴見警察署長のエピソードは、美…

www.kanaloco.jp

 

[thomas]

Koike continues refusing to send out a letter of condolence on the occasion of the massacres. All her predecessors did!


Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko will not send a eulogy to the memorial ceremony for Korean victims of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake massacre on 1 September for the eighth consecutive year since taking office in 2017, according to metropolitan government sources. The ceremony, organized by Niccho Kyokai (Japan-Korea association) and other groups, has been held annually since 1974. Koike's predecessors always sent a eulogy. Despite a request from the group earlier this month, Koike faxed a letter on 14 August, stating her policy is to "express condolences to all those who lost their lives in the extreme turmoil" at the grand memorial service for the earthquake victims, also on 1 September. Yasuhiko Miyagawa, chairman of the group's Tokyo branch and head of the ceremony organizing committee, expressed dissatisfaction with Koike's decision.

Miyagawa said the purpose of his group's ceremony is "to pledge never to repeat the same mistake," and it is different from the grand memorial service because "the meaning of mourning is different for a natural disaster and a man-made disaster." Miyagawa said, "To me, it seems that (Koike is saying) that it is a double effort to send a eulogy individually (to his group's memorial ceremony)." The ceremony is usually held at the metropolitan Yokoamicho Park in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, where a monument is dedicated to Koreans massacred after the quake. Earlier this month, a group of faculty and staff of the University of Tokyo asked Koike to issue a message of condolence to Koreans massacred after the quake that is estimated to have claimed more than 105,000 lives.

Group again blasts Koike for stand on Koreans slain in 1923 | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[thomas]

While Nihon Kaigi member Koike stuck to her policy of not sending a message to a ceremony held on 1 September for Korean residents massacred in the aftermath of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, Saitama Mayor Shimizu Hayato and Saitama Governor Ono Motohiro said they were considering sending a message of condolence to an event commemorating the massacre held in Saitama on 4 September.

While successive Tokyo governors sent a message of condolence to this event, Koike discontinued the tradition in 2017. "The souls of all victims are consoled at the service (at the memorial hall)," she has stated. The killings were triggered by groundless rumors that Koreans were going on a looting and burning spree. In a statement, the organizing committee has said, "Our ceremony has a different meaning from a memorial to victims of a natural disaster" and "We suspect there is a desire to turn a blind eye to historical facts."

Kudos to the Japanese media (mainly Mainichi and Asahi newspapers) for not turning a blind eye to history.

Koike pays tribute to victims of 1923 quake, mum on Koreans | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[thomas]

This is a real shame, and I'm glad that some Japanese media, even TV channels such as TBS, continue to report on this issue.

Saitama, Tokyo governors skip events marking 101 years since anti-Korean massacres - The Mainichi

Memorial services were held in Tokyo and across neighboring Saitama Prefecture on Sept. 1 to mark 101 years since the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and

mainichi.jp

A scroll painting depicting a scene following the Great Kanto Earthquake with people, possibly Koreans, being attacked and bleeding. (Mainichi/Kentaro Ikushima)​

Editorial: Politicians insincere to turn blind eye to massacre of Koreans after 1923 quake - The Mainichi

In the aftermath of the Great Kanto Earthquake 101 years ago, many Koreans in Japan were massacred. Refusing to face this history will result in the t

mainichi.jp

 

[thomas]

Documents reveal that the Japanese government conducted surveys of Korean students following the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake and subsequent massacre, indicating a cautious approach to the Korean community.

Photo credit: Mainichi/Kanami Ikawa​

Government documents have revealed that the Japanese government established a "Korean student relief department" to conduct surveys of Korean students after the devastating 1923 Great Kanto earthquake and subsequent massacre. While the government provided humanitarian aid to the affected students, the survey indicates a concern about potential social unrest among the Korean community. These documents, recently transferred to the National Archives of Japan, shed new light on the government's response to the crisis. Previously, details about the survey were only mentioned in a report by the Government-General of Chosen, providing limited information.

The documents contain information on the affected students compiled by each branch office. The list prepared by the Shibuya branch office included the names of students, the schools they attended, and their need for aid, as well as a column for "character and conduct" denoting the students' everyday behaviour. There is also a record of the distribution of relief supplies such as rice and miso to the students staying at dormitories or boarding houses. There was also mention of the massacre. According to a record from the Shinjuku branch office, one student was ordered to carry cement-filled bales at the Nakano barracks, an Imperial Japanese Army facility, until 11 September 1923. When the student suggested returning to the Korean Peninsula, a soldier replied, "It's difficult to let you go home because you and others will spread the story of the massacre of Koreans in Tokyo to locals after returning home."

Documents show wary Japan gov't surveyed Korean students after 1923 quake, massacre - The Mainichi

TOKYO -- Following the massacre of many Koreans in Japan based on rumors that circulated in the wake of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, Japan's Educa

mainichi.jp