Great Fire Of Meireki, Tokyo, 1657

On March 2, 1657, a fire started in a Japanese temple in the city of Edo, which is now Tokyo. It swept through the city for three days, consuming much of the city and killing 100,000 of its 300,000 inhabitants.

In 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu took control of Edo and began an aggressive building of Edo’s size and economic and political importance. By 1657 Edo was purportedly the largest city in the world. Edo Castle was located on the high ground at the center of town, with successive circles and guild-centered wards determining where different classes and professions lived. Temples were scattered throughout the city.

In the style of many Asian cities, Edo structures were built mainly of wood and rice paper, and heated with charcoal braziers. While the city was built with some rudimentary planning, most streets were narrow and tortuous, and dwellings packed tightly together. Fires were not uncommon, and tended to be large and severe. Tokugawa Ieyasu had established a fire brigade in 1636, but its equipment, training and experience were inadequate for the fire of 1657.

According to established legend, the fire was started by priests in a temple who were dealing with a cursed kimono. This  ceremonial dress had been owned by three successive young ladies of the upper classes, all of whom had unexpectedly died before ever getting to wear it. The priests decided it had to be burned. However, winds were high on the day of the burning, fanned the flames, and caught nearby structures. The Great Fire of Meiraki is also known as the Fire Of The Long Sleeves.

The wind quickly pushed the fire through the tinder-dry and tightly packed buildings, burning its way to the edge of the city. There the wind changed direction and brought the fire back into town, destroying more property and lives. The fire burned for three days, destroying much of Edo and killing an estimated 100,000 people. Worst affected were the merchants’ quarter, the ‘pleasure district’, and Edo Castle, which maintained its central building but lost everything else.

Tokugawa Ieyasu rebuilt the city with fire in mind, incorporating wider streets and firebreaks. The Tokugawa Shogunate lasted until 1867, when the city was renamed Tokyo.

Connected safety tips

• Edo Meireki Fire Lessons