The 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake: What Happened?

The 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake is the last major earthquake to directly hit the Tokyo area. At a magnitude of 7.9 - some reports say as much as 8.3 - it flattened the majority of Tokyo as well as surrounding areas.

So what did happen on the day of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake?

It's a question many have asked. Especially as figuring out the answers to these events means that more can be done to protect people in the future.

Well, as with the dreadful Tohoku earthquake on March 11, 2011, despite the severity of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, most of the damage did not come directly from the earthquake itself. Here's how the day played out for most people going about their business.

It was coming up to lunchtime on that fateful 1st of September and many people were preparing their food over open fires. It was how everyone cooked back then. At the same time, unfortunately, the majority of buildings were made from wood. Well, with personal belongings and furniture, along with walls and ceilings all tumbling to the ground, those cooking fires soon turned into much bigger fires. Those fires, fanned by the wind, spread quickly from house to house. And so it was that fire became the biggest destroyer on the day of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.

A Diary Excerpt From The 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake

To give you an idea of how this felt for those who were actually there, this is a section from a diary of a guest staying at The Imperial Hotel at that time. It's an interesting and educational read with some emotional insights into the tragedies that people suffered that day.

Was everything destroyed in the earthquake?

Almost. But not quite. One of the few buildings to remain standing, after the dust had settled was the Imperial Hotel Tokyo designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. In fact, the US Embassy was temporarily relocated here at the time due to the destruction of the Embassy building during the earthquake.

Why did The Imperial Hotel survive? It was one of the first buildings to be constructed to allow different sections of the walls to move independently from each other - and it worked. The hotel was lucky enough to also have enough space around it so that it remained unaffected by the spreading fires that killed many of the people trying to flee the devastation.

Tokyo's Yokoamicho Park was built as a memorium to those who died

The 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, and the lessons learned from it, have certainly not been forgotten.

Yokoamicho Park is the location of the Tokyo Metropolitan Great Kanto Earthquake Memorial Museum. This location was chosen because of the approximately 38,000 people who perished here in the aftermath of the earthquake.

The area was open ground and so people collected here hoping to avoid the fires that were spreading through the city. Sadly, because the area was completely open with no trees or natural breaks of any kind, the fire swept through regardless, killing those in its wake.

Of those who survived the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, the majority escaped to parks and gardens that were surrounded by trees and other foliage to divert the fire. This lesson has been taken on board and, today, there are many parks and gardens located around Tokyo for this very reason.

So what have these historical events got to do with you, a tourist in Japan?

As a visitor to Japan, it's important to be aware of earthquake procedures. Things have moved on a lot since the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. The Japanese government and seismologists have put many things in place to help keep you safe should the worst happen. Think building regulations and emergency procedures. However, earthquakes by their very nature test us with their unpredictability. As much as the experts try and second guess all the possible eventualities that may occur, you still need to look after yourself as well.

So how do you go about preparing for a Tokyo earthquake?

Start by visiting our Tokyo earthquake page to see what you need to do in the event of a big one. And don't get us wrong. We sincerely hope you'll never need this information. But taking a few simple precautionary measures can make a huge difference to the safety of you and those around you should the worst happen. Head over to our Tokyo earthquake page now and get this one off your to do list.

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