306:, streets were widened and some districts replanned and reorganized; special care was taken to restore Edo's mercantile center, thus protecting and boosting to some extent the overall national economy. Commoners and samurai retainers alike were granted funds from the government for the rebuilding of their homes, and the restoration of the shōgun's castle was left to be completed last. The area around the castle was reorganized to leave greater spaces to act as firebreaks; retainers' homes were moved further from the castle, and a number of temples and shrines were relocated to the banks of the river.
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district, and spread quickly through the city, due to hurricane-force winds that were blowing from the northwest. Edo, like all
Japanese cities and towns at the time, was built primarily from wood and paper. The buildings were especially dry due to a drought the previous year, and the roads and
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that had been owned in succession by three teenage girls who all died before ever being able to wear it. When the garment was being burned, a large gust of wind reportedly fanned the flames, causing the wooden temple to ignite.
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other open spaces between buildings were small and narrow, allowing the fire to spread and grow particularly quickly. (Many cities in Europe had similar problems, being built of flammable material and tightly packed; the
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pushed forward with the relief efforts. His words remain: "The shogunate's savings are meant to be used in times like these to reassure the people. If we don't use them now, it's as if we have no savings at all."
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On the second evening, the winds changed, and the fire was pushed from the southern edges of the city back towards its center. The homes of the shōgun's closest retainers in
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Reconstruction efforts took two years, as the shogunate took the opportunity to reorganize the city according to various practical considerations. Under the guidance of
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One of the greatest disasters in
Japanese history, the death and destruction caused by the Meireki fire was nearly comparable to that suffered in the
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were immediately provided. The amount was so enormous that there were even concerns within the shogunate about financial ruin. However,
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On the 24th day of the new year, six days after the fire began, monks and others began to transport the bodies of the dead down the
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The shogunate's relief efforts were swift. After the fire was extinguished, 900 tons of rice and 160,000
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The fire was said to have been started accidentally by a priest who was cremating an allegedly cursed
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561:"'Blue Eye Samurai' Director Breaks Down the Fiery Finale: 'Let's Just Burn Down That Whole Set'"
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Handscroll depicting scenes from the Great Fire of
Meireki (kept at the
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nine years later was of similar magnitude.) Though Edo had designated
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The fire is referenced in the final episode of the first season of
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capital city of Japan, on 2 March 1657, the third year of the
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296:(Hall of Prayer for the Dead) was then built on the site.
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Historical marker for a memorial to victims of the fire
60:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
483:"How the Great Fire of 1657 shaped modern Tokyo"
248:were destroyed as the fire made its way towards
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428:"Economic Growth and Fires: The Case of Japan"
414:The Deshima Dagregisters, Volume XII 1650–1660
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412:Blusse, Leonard & Cynthia Vaillé (2005).
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120:Learn how and when to remove this message
518:. Osaka Building Maintenance Association
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252:, at the very center of the city. The
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58:adding citations to reliable sources
27:1657 fire destroying Edo (now Tokyo)
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538:"ただただ積み置いているだけでは、蓄えがないのと同じではないか"
315:bombing of Tokyo in World War II
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559:Wu, Valerie (7 November 2023).
45:needs additional citations for
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612:– via Internet Archive.
599:A History of Japan, 1615–1867
513:"900トンの米の無料放出、約16万両の無料の資金援助"
348:, was inspired by the event.
311:1923 Great Kantō earthquake
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426:Evans, Robert Jr. (1990).
216:eighteenth day of the year
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329:Ōoku: The Inner Chambers
602:. Stanford Univ Press.
596:Sansom, George (1963).
69:"Great Fire of Meireki"
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214:The fire began on the
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630:Great Fire of Meireki
436:Keio Economic Studies
361:, based on the manga
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148:Great Fire of Meireki
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18:Great fire of Meireki
632:at Wikimedia Commons
304:Matsudaira Nobutsuna
225:Great Fire of London
165:, also known as the
54:improve this article
673:Urban fires in Asia
167:Great Furisode Fire
658:17th-century fires
468:Noêl Noue (1961).
394:Great Ryōgoku Fire
321:In popular culture
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210:Historical account
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609:978-0-8047-0526-4
470:Histoire de Tokyo
346:Laura Joh Rowland
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577:23 November
497:23 November
487:Japan Today
454:23 November
358:Short Peace
353:Combustible
218:, in Edo's
642:Categories
400:References
355:(2013) in
327:The manga
288:to Honjo,
250:Edo castle
110:March 2014
80:newspapers
472:(Page 98)
340:, a 2008
260:Aftermath
254:main keep
246:Kōjimachi
571:Archived
491:Archived
445:Archived
416:. Leiden
383:See also
199:furisode
179:de facto
590:Sources
566:Variety
544:21 June
522:21 June
370:Netflix
234:hikeshi
183:Meireki
94:scholar
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540:. JMCA
294:Ekō-in
290:Sumida
231:, the
203:kimono
192:Legend
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516:(PDF)
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220:Hongō
175:Tokyo
173:(now
154:明暦の大火
101:JSTOR
87:books
604:ISBN
579:2023
546:2024
524:2024
499:2023
456:2023
301:Rōjū
146:The
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663:Edo
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