翻刻
合見請候処梁木柱等ニ被打潰即死致し或は手足被打敷
可逢出様無之苦痛堪兼即死之者は是悲も無之怪我人ども相助
度一同精力を尽し梁木柱等を挽抜い救ひ出し薬用介抱いたし
遣候得共深疵請候分は療用不相届果候者共男女六百三拾七人
有之且又善光寺町旅籠屋ニおゐて致即死候もの共之儀は村々ゟ
凡五里ゟ七八里程有之三月廿四日は村々一統仕来ニ而農業休日ニ
付銘々村内之者透引合五六人又は拾人程も連立善光寺江参詣
いたし候処前同断災害ニ而善光寺町門前其外家皆潰之上出火ニおよび
焼失致候趣相聞右は年々の事故毎村【村毎】定宿有之候而参詣人共親
類身寄之もの共不取敢同所旅籠屋江罷越承り候処一同潰家に
相成候上一時ニ及焼失候ニ付焼死ニは無相違旨申聞
候得共何レも灰骨ニ相成見定出来兼候間其夜備切候座敷
跡を承り夫々焼骨引取候間一同届出し候居宅ニおゐて及死失
候者共一同手代差出見分之上始末相糺候処前書之通奇
奇難に逢男女弐百四拾人は善光寺町ニ而及焼死候得共
一般之災害故何方へ対シ候而も申合顔筋無之死骸は弔ひ
度旨親類身寄之者ならびに村役人共申立何れも疑敷
子細不相聞候間願之通死骸は勝手次第取置候様申渡候
依之此段御届申上候以上
未五月 髙木清左衛門
現代語訳
梁や木柱などに打ちつぶされて即死した者、あるいは手足が挟まれて逃げ出すことができず、苦痛に耐えかねて即死した者については、悲しむ間もなく、怪我人たちを助けようと全員が力を尽くして梁や柱を引き抜き、救い出し、薬を用いて介抱いたしました。しかしながら、深い傷を負った者については、手当てが十分に届かず亡くなった者が男女合わせて六百三十七人おりました。
また、善光寺町の旅籠屋において即死した者たちについては、各村々からおよそ五里から七、八里ほど離れており、三月二十四日は村々一統の慣わしとして農業の休日でありましたため、各村の者たちがそれぞれ五、六人あるいは十人ほど連れ立って善光寺へ参詣に出かけておりました。ところが、前述と同様の災害により、善光寺町の門前その他の家屋がすべて倒壊した上、火災も発生して焼失したとのことでございます。これは毎年のことゆえ各村に定宿があり、参詣人たちの親類・身寄りの者が取るものも取りあえず同所の旅籠屋に赴いて確認しましたところ、すべて倒壊家屋となった上、一時に焼失したため、焼死に相違ないとのことを申し聞かせました。
しかしながら、いずれも灰と骨になってしまい、確認することが難しい状況でありましたので、その夜に泊まっていた座敷の跡を確認した上で、それぞれ焼骨を引き取り、全員の届け出が出されました。居宅において死亡した者については、全員手代を派遣して実地検分の上、経緯を調査しましたところ、前書きの通り、思いもよらぬ難儀に遭い、善光寺町において焼死した男女二百四十人については、一般的な災害ゆえ、どこに対しても申し合わせる相手もなく、遺体は弔いたい旨を親類・身寄りの者および村役人たちが申し立て、いずれも不審な点は見当たりませんでしたので、願いの通り遺体は各自の判断で引き取るよう申し渡しました。
以上の次第をご報告申し上げます。
未五月 髙木清左衛門
英語訳
Those who were instantly killed by being crushed under beams and wooden pillars, or those who could not escape as their limbs were pinned and died from unbearable agony, could not even be mourned, as everyone devoted their full strength to pulling out beams and pillars, rescuing the injured, and providing medicine and care. However, of those who had sustained severe wounds, there were 637 men and women in total who died because medical treatment could not reach them in time.
Regarding those who were killed instantly at the lodging houses (hatagoya) in Zenkoji-machi: the town was approximately five to seven or eight ri from the various villages. As the 24th day of the 3rd month was, by common custom across all villages, a rest day from agricultural work, groups of five or six, or sometimes as many as ten people from each village had set off together to worship at Zenkoji Temple. However, as a result of the same disaster described above, all the houses in the precincts of Zenkoji-machi and surrounding areas collapsed, and subsequently fires broke out and the area burned down. Since this pilgrimage was an annual event, each village had its regular lodging houses, and the relatives and close kin of the pilgrims rushed to those lodging houses to inquire, only to be told that the buildings had all collapsed and immediately burned down, and that there was no doubt that the pilgrims had died in the fire.
Nevertheless, as everything had been reduced to ash and bone, making identification extremely difficult, the locations of the rooms where people had stayed that night were confirmed, and the cremated remains were collected accordingly, with reports submitted for each person. Regarding those who died in their own residences, officials (tedai) were dispatched to conduct an on-site inspection and investigate the full circumstances, the results of which were as stated in the foregoing report. Two hundred and forty men and women suffered this unforeseen calamity and perished in the fires of Zenkoji-machi. Since this was a disaster that afflicted everyone equally, there was no party to whom a complaint or claim could be directed. The relatives, close kin, and village officials requested that they be allowed to hold funeral rites for the deceased, and as no suspicious circumstances were found in any of the cases, they were instructed that, as requested, they could handle the remains as they saw fit.
The above is hereby respectfully reported.
5th month, Year of the Ram Takagi Seizaemon