[Special Feature: The Great Kanto Earthquake and Keio University] The Great Kanto Earthquake as Seen in Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press)

2023/08/21

September 1, 2023, marks the 100th anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake. Needless to say, it was the largest earthquake disaster to strike the Tokyo metropolitan area in modern history, resulting in over 105,000 deaths and more than 290,000 houses destroyed, burned down, or washed away (according to Cabinet Office disaster prevention information). Naturally, the two campuses of Keio University in Mita and Yotsuya (now Shinanomachi) were also significantly affected.

Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press) celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, which means it was also being published during the Great Kanto Earthquake 100 years ago. At that time, on September 1, 1923, the editorial team should have been working on the October issue, but publication was suspended due to the earthquake. However, publication resumed as early as the following month with the November issue (No. 315). At the end of the revived November issue, the following "Notice" was posted (kanji and kana have been updated to modern forms; the same applies below).

Notice

Due to the collapse of the printing office for this journal during the great earthquake on September 1, the October issue was suspended. For the current issue, we have been forced to reduce the number of pages and delay publication. We humbly request your kind understanding in this matter.

November 1, 1923

Mita-hyoron Editorial Department

The November 1923 issue begins with "Frontispiece: Buildings of this Juku Suffering from the Disaster," and most of it is filled with articles about the Great Kanto Earthquake. These include "Reflections on the Great Earthquake" by Kiroku Hayashi, who became President shortly thereafter (inaugurated on November 20 of the same year), "Record of the Great Edo Earthquake" by Aikuni Ozawa, which began as a series in this issue, a detailed "Earthquake Report from the Central Meteorological Observatory" with illustrations, and the "Jukuho," which recorded the damage situation within Keio. Additionally, from this issue onward, an advertisement for "Juku Bonds" to fund the recovery from earthquake damage was posted for some time.

I would like to look at the damage situation of the Juku as recorded in the "Jukuho." While it is said that about 60% of the buildings in Tokyo City were reduced to ashes mostly by fire, Keio University fortunately escaped the fires, but still suffered considerable damage.

Regarding the damage to school buildings, it is written under "1. Those with the most severe damage" as follows: "Public Hall: Large cracks appeared in the front bricks; the interior suffered no major damage, only small cracks. It is said that it can be used again after repairing and relaying the front bricks." "Main Building (Jukukan-kyoku (Keio Corporate Administration) brick building): Large cracks appeared on the front and all roof tiles collapsed. Since it was built in 1887, it is currently under investigation to see if it can be used again." "Library: Because the ground is solid, the damage to the brick building is minor, but the octagonal tower has cracks in various places, necessitating the demolition and rebuilding of more than half of it. Also, the crack extending from the end of the main entrance staircase to the left wall is the longest. The upper part of the steam heat chimney broke, and books in the stacks fell and were scattered all over the floor, leaving no place to step. Some bookshelves collapsed, but because the structure of the stacks is sturdy, there was no damage there, and the memorial room and administrative offices are also safe (omitted below)."

Other buildings in Mita suffered minor damage such as falling roof tiles. Regarding the School of Medicine hospital in Yotsuya, it states, "There was only damage to roof tiles and walls, and all inpatients were safe," which must have been a blessing in the midst of misfortune.

The estimated damage costs for the heavily damaged Mita buildings were 120,000 yen for the Library, 60,000 yen for the Public Hall, and 77,000 yen for the Jukukan-kyoku. The Public Hall underwent major renovations centered on the entrance and staircase hall, and a pair of unicorn gargoyle statues were placed on the third-floor balcony at this time. The Library was rebuilt because the octagonal tower required "demolition and rebuilding" as mentioned above. Also, while it was noted that the (old) Jukukan-kyoku (Rengakodo (Auditorium)) was "currently under investigation to see if it can be used again," the ceiling of the first-floor south corridor collapsed during a strong aftershock on January 15, 1924, leading to its reconstruction (the current Jukukan-kyoku was completed in September 1926).

Regarding human casualties, it is said that there were no deaths among the faculty and staff at the Juku, but names were listed under "Victims among Juku faculty, staff, and families" and "Victims among School of Medicine faculty and staff," with some entries mentioning "nine family members deceased." Additionally, the number of student victims exceeded 2,000.

On the other hand, the Juku became a place of refuge for disaster victims and evacuees. On September 1, as "most of the school buildings (in Mita) were fit for emergency use," the buildings were opened to accommodate victims. Subsequently, facilities were also provided to the mobilized military, the Ministry of Education, and the Jiji Shimpo newspaper. Approximately 800 victims were accommodated within the Mita campus of the Juku, and staff members provided relief.

Furthermore, the School of Medicine and hospital in Yotsuya performed "great activities for the relief of disaster victims and the injured." Three relief teams were organized and dispatched to Atagoshita, Asakusa Park, Ueno Park, in front of Tokyo Station, and other locations. They worked desperately to provide relief amidst the raging fires. Naturally, relief stations and temporary wards were also set up inside the hospital, which had suffered minor damage, accommodating many sick and injured people.

According to "The 100-Year History of Keio University, Vol. 2 (Part 2)," the Atago Police Station's activity report states, "From September 2 to October 10, the number of people treated by each relief team was 75 by the Tokyo Imperial University relief team and 718 by the Keio University relief team." The Yotsuya Police Station report states, "Keio University Hospital treated approximately 200,000 people (omitted) within the hospital grounds from September 1 to early December." This gives a sense of the scale of their activities. On September 30, Her Majesty the Empress visited the University Hospital to comfort the disaster patients.

We are reprinting and transcribing Kiroku Hayashi's "Reflections on the Great Earthquake" placed at the beginning of this November issue. This text by Hayashi analyzes the reality of this great disaster and the accompanying behavior of people very calmly and strictly. Since 95% of the damage this time was caused by fire, he even uses the term "man-made disaster," suggesting that human effort could have reduced the damage to 5%. In particular, he fiercely condemns the massacre of Koreans and the Amakasu Incident triggered by this earthquake, calling them "a major recent scandal" and stating that "Japanese civilization has suffered a tremendous disgrace," urging the nation to reflect. Regarding Hayashi's essay, please also read the article by Mr. Takeyuki Tokura.

(Editorial Department)