About 38,000 people who evacuated during the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake to the site of an army clothing depot were subsequently killed in a massive fire. They were mostly residents of the neighborhood in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, where the Tokyo Restoration Memorial Hall now stands at the scene of the tragedy, present-day Yokoamicho Park.
The museum helps communicate lessons from the disaster together with the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall, which houses the remains of the victims.
The earthquake ultimately claimed over 100,000 lives. At the time of the disaster, a high-temperature tornado called a fire whirl appeared around the park, causing fires to break out in various places. Among the roughly 470 items on display, galvanized sheet metal bent around a tree speaks to the fierceness of the whirlwind. Charred coins, melted glass and a burned and broken nameplate from Ryogoku Bridge that are also on display conjure images of streets engulfed in flames.
The exhibits include a leaflet stating the Metropolitan Police Department will punish those who spread groundless rumors. It feels timely given the spread of the coronavirus has also caused the spread of false information on social media. It seems that in any era, false rumors spread when people feel anxious.
Overseas assistance supported recovery and reconstruction from the earthquake. It is said that goods and relief money were donated from various countries, with the then Republic of China being the first and longest-serving donor.
It is also interesting to see historical materials that visually explain reconstruction projects and their costs. They clearly show a lot of money was invested in road improvement and land readjustment. Major arterial roads such as Showadori and Yasukuni-dori streets were built, and parks were developed to prevent the spread of fires and to secure evacuation sites. It can be seen from the exhibits that the reconstruction projects were the foundation of the present-day Tokyo. Paintings depicting the earthquake also convey the pulse of the time.
There are also war-damaged materials on display, such as articles left by the Great Tokyo Air Raid during World War II. Altogether, the exhibits tell a history of Tokyo's strong recovery from the earthquake and war.
"I hope visitors will relive the disaster and think about how they would survive should they encounter a disaster," said Yusuke Morita, a 46-year-old researcher at the memorial hall.
Are we prepared for disasters, such as an earthquake many expect will occur directly under the Tokyo metropolitan area in the foreseeable future? The exhibits had a sobering effect on me.
Tokyo Restoration Memorial Hall: 2-3-25 Yokoami, Sumida Ward, Tokyo
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
