英語訳
【Upper Right Section】
However, what had been mistaken for a tsunami was not a true tsunami, but rather the tide whose speed had been accelerated by the force of the wind during high tide.
▲Casualties in Shimochi Village Four men and two women were injured.
▲The Great Disaster in Honkawa Village In Honkawa Village, Tosa District, in addition to the great storm that night, flooding was severe, and landslides caused mountain torrents. All the rivers in the village rose more than two *jō* (approximately six meters) above normal water level. As a result, every bridge was washed away, residents lost any means of escape, fell into the water, were buried under collapsed earth and rocks, or were crushed by fallen buildings, resulting in more than fifty deaths. Among these, the hamlet of Mitsumori, with a population of only nine, had five deaths; Kuwase had thirty-three deaths; Takayabu had three; Ashiga-tani had two; Nagasawa had two; and Tonaka had two. It is reported that Okawa Village also suffered extreme devastation.
▲A Miraculous Survivor A foundry worker in Bōtsutumi, Shimochi Village, who lived with his family of four, had his house washed away by the fierce tidal surge and wind. He clung to a post with a child on his back, barely keeping himself afloat. The tide rose higher and higher, the wind grew ever more violent, and waves occasionally broke over his head, making it nearly impossible to breathe—a matter of life and death. Fortunately, at just the right moment the wind shifted and the tide began to ebb, and all four survived. Also on the same night, Mr. Hirao Kiju of the Tea Merchants' Association attempted to cross Aoyagi Bridge toward Suiē in the midst of the gale. In pitch darkness, unaware that the bridge had been blown away, he suddenly mistepped and fell into the water. He clung to the bridge abutment and called for help, barely managing to save his life.
▲Casualties in Kagami Village Imai Fumi (age 39), wife of a commoner merchant Kametarō, residing at 21 Kohama, Kagami Village, Tosa District, and their eldest son Yoshihisa (age 12), were struck by the timber of their collapsed house as they tried to flee, sustaining serious injuries. Both are currently under medical treatment.
◎Deaths in Asahi Village Yamazaki Kurota (age 60), a farmer and head of household at 150 Shakushida, Asahi Village, Tosa District, had a beam fall on his head as he tried to flee when his house began to collapse in the storm, and died on the spot. Ikezoe Usaburō (age 43), also of Fukui in the same village, was similarly struck by falling timber and died instantly.
【Lower Right Section】
▲Drowned and Crushed Victims When Bōtsutumi was inundated by the fierce tidal surge, the residents rushed one after another to board rescue boats. However, in a gale exerting a pressure of 200 *kan* per *tsubo*, the boats capsized before their eyes, and eight of the thirteen aboard drowned. The most pitiable case was that of the eldest son (age 5) and second son Masayoshi (age 3) of Matsumura Hideo of Shimochi Village. The two were beside a chest of drawers placed against the wall of their home when the neighboring house collapsed, sending a beam crashing through the wall and knocking over the chest of drawers, which crushed Masayoshi to death on the spot. The elder brother, having been slightly farther away, escaped unharmed.
Furthermore, Yashiro Otosama (age 14) and Yashiro Sadae (age 8) were brothers. Their father, Yashiro Hikokichi, a former samurai who had served as a cavalry attendant (*mawari*) to the old domain and had once lived in Nakajima-chō, had fallen into poverty and wandered from place to place, dying of illness three years ago, leaving behind four children. Their mother, Shigeo, struggled to make ends meet, barely able to keep the cooking fire going. Through the help of others, the third son Sadae was sent as an adopted son to a glassworks at Bōtsutumi. Taking advantage of this connection, the eldest son Otosama and the second son (age 12) also went to the same place to work, receiving meager wages. During the storm, the owner of the glassworks took advantage of a brief lull to flee to a rice mill, intending to take the brothers with him, but when others suggested crossing by boat to Shinchi, the three brothers boarded the same boat. The moment they set out rowing, the sea surged and struck the gunwale, immediately capsizing the vessel. The second son, carrying young Sadae on his back, swam with desperate effort, but unable to move freely, he pushed away Sadae's clinging hands and swam with all his might. When a piece of timber floated by, he seized it thankfully and clung to it, calling out repeatedly for his elder brother and younger brother—but by then their voices could no longer be heard. After clinging to the timber for about thirty minutes, calling the names of his brother and younger sibling, a sailing vessel drifted by and rescued him. He was finally brought ashore at Tokiwa-chō and his life was saved. However, the elder brother Otosama and younger brother Sadae drowned, or at any rate their whereabouts were entirely unknown. The next morning, the body of Sadae was found...
【Left Illustration】
*Illustration depicting the scene of more than fifty people dying tragically in Honkawa Village, Tosa District, Kōchi Prefecture.*