英語訳
# Map of Locations Damaged by the Great Storm and Flooding on the 25th Day of the 8th Month of Ansei 3 (1856)
"Pine and cypress shattered into firewood; mulberry fields transformed into the sea"—how true these words proved to be. It was the eighth month of the third year of Ansei (the Year of the Dragon, 1856). Light rain had continued for several days, but on the night of the 25th, at around half past the fifth hour (approximately 9 p.m.), thunder suddenly rumbled, and a great storm broke out. It toppled great rocks, scattered large trees, knocked down roof tiles, and blew apart rooftops with a sound like a million thunderbolts. The rain was as though small stones were being hurled against everything. People were stricken with fear and grief; the color had drained from every face as though they were dead.
It was truly an unprecedented catastrophe. Beginning from Nihonbashi northward, Uchi-Kanda and Soto-Kanda suffered severe damage. Onari-dō road and the Shitaya area sustained heavy damage, while the precincts of Ueno hill suffered no particular harm. A fire broke out near Sakamoto and spread to Shin-Yoshiwara, burning thirty-three brothels and everything else to the ground. Asakusa Kanzeon (Sensō-ji Temple) was unharmed. Hanakawado, Yama-no-Juku, Shōten-chō, Imado-chō, and Yamakawa-chō suffered severe damage to their licensed brothel temporary quarters. The three theater districts (Saruwaka-chō's three theaters) and surrounding areas suffered great damage; the north and south Umamichi roads sustained minor damage, and the low-class brothels were damaged. Floodwaters rose near Hashi-be, Ryōgoku, and Senju, washing away dwellings, and the Great Bridge (Ryōgoku Bridge) was slightly damaged. Takenohei, Sōka, Koshigaya, Kasukabe, Sugito, Gōdo, and Kurihashi all had houses damaged by flooding. The roof of the Eastern Gate ruins of Asakusa was slightly damaged, and a water storage structure collapsed. Kikuya Bridge and the temples of Shinhori were badly damaged. The licensed brothel temporary quarters around Tawaramachi and Hirokoji were severely damaged. From there, Namiki-chō thoroughfare, Okura-mae, the Hachiman shrine, and the Fudō shrine were unharmed. At Omiyakaishi, five large and small boats were washed ashore. The roof of Tennō-chō and Enma-dō was slightly damaged. Kawaramachi, Kayachō, Fukuichō, and Heizaemon-chō were extensively damaged throughout. To the east, Kayabachō and Takeshimachō suffered minor damage. The main gate and tenement houses of the Kuki domain mansion suffered major collapse. In the areas of Hatchōbori and Reigan-jima, many houses collapsed in various places. Shinkawa and Shinhori suffered minor damage.
At Eitai Bridge, a large boat struck the structure—one spot sank deeply and another completely gave way, halting traffic. Although there were people warning that the bridge had collapsed, many fell to their deaths in the darkness because they assumed they could cross since others who had gone ahead had not returned.
Behind the Eitai dumpling shop, a large boat carrying 150 koku was washed ashore. Two tea boats were washed up in front of the Takao teahouse. In Hakozaki, the front tenement of the Tayasu domain mansion collapsed. The Mikawa domain mansion at Hama-chō was slightly damaged; eight tea boats and three small boats were washed ashore, and a crossroads guard post collapsed. The Andō clan's upper residence along the Ōkawa (Sumida River) embankment was severely damaged. A large ship of 350-koku capacity called the Myōjin-maru was wrecked, its stern boards smashed open. Takabashi Bridge collapsed, and three bridge piles washed up here. The domain residences throughout this area were all greatly damaged. Near the Great Bridge, twenty large tea boats, five or six small boats, and a great quantity of timber and lumber were washed ashore. All the dumpling tea stalls along the riverbank were swept away. The Great Bridge (Ryōgoku Bridge) itself was undamaged. On the opposite bank, three shogunate boat warehouses were destroyed. The Atake, Mitsui tenement rows, and San-no-Kame temporary quarters were badly damaged, with much damage throughout this area.
From Futatsu-me along Tachikawa-dōri, Kamezawa-chō, the Wari-gesui canal area, and the licensed brothels of Yoshioka-chō and Yoshida-chō were severely damaged. Kameido, Oshiage, Gohyaku Rakan (Five-Hundred Arhats), Yanagishima, Koume, and Matsudo were severely damaged by flooding.
On the far side of Eitai Bridge, the riverfront warehouses of Saga-chō, Matsukawa-chō, Hamaguri-chō, and Kumoi-chō in Fukagawa were extensively destroyed. In Naka-chō, all four establishments—Kanazawa-ya, Ōno-ya, Shiroki-ya, and Sanoduchi-ya—collapsed. The licensed brothel temporary quarters were badly damaged. At Hachiman Shrine, the Benzaiten exhibition stalls and the Ōe life-like doll exhibition stalls were all demolished. Near the rear gate of Hachiman Shrine, floodwaters rose approximately four shaku (about 1.2 meters). All three sections of the Tsunauchi-ba licensed brothels were destroyed. The Sanjūsangendō Hall and the main temple complex suffered extensive timber losses in the flooding. At Susaki, many large and small ships were driven ashore, and the number of wrecked vessels was beyond counting. The front tenements of the shogunate storehouse estate at Sendai-bori were extensively destroyed. Kiyosumi-chō and Kaibe Daiku-chō suffered minor damage. The temples of Tera-machi were badly damaged. The licensed brothels of Tokiwa-chō were heavily damaged. Morishita-chō near Miroku-ji temple was damaged by flooding. The temporary quarters of Irie-chō beyond Ōgi-bashi Bridge were badly damaged. In the areas of Sunamura and Kasai, houses and farmland were swept away by flooding, with many deaths and injuries.
To the south, Kameshima-chō, Hibiya-chō, and Inari-bashi had boats driven ashore by flooding. The riverside warehouses of Teppōzu, Honminato-chō, and Funamatsu-chō were all destroyed. Jikken-chō suffered major collapse, and Tsukuda-jima was severely damaged with many houses washed away. In Tsukiji and the waterfront areas, the residences of the Hitotsubashi, Etchū, and Aki domains were severely destroyed, and a large ship of 500-koku capacity was blown aground there. The main road at the Western Gate ruins collapsed.
The great main hall, towering up into the clouds, collapsed like a folded lantern without the foundation stones moving even slightly from their positions—this was beyond extraordinary. Men and women came in crowds to view the spectacle. Many other parts of the temple complex were damaged as well. In front of the rear gate, fifteen large tea boats, twenty-five small boats, and an uncountable quantity of timber were driven aground. In front of the main gate, one large ship from Annegasaki was run aground.
To the west, Shōhei-bashi, Yushima, Hongō, Komagome, and the Hakusan area suffered heavy damage. Koishikawa, Ushigome, Ichigaya, Yotsuya, Akasaka, Kōji-machi, Banchō, Ogawa-chō, and the domain residences of Marunouchi were damaged in various places. Nihonbashi, Naka-bashi, and Kyōbashi had collapsed houses here and there. In south Hatchōbori, the front tenements of the Honda domain residence collapsed. At Asarigashi, Kobiki-chō, Shiodome, and Shinbashi, small boats and timber were washed ashore. The domain residences in Kubo-chō and below Atago were damaged in places. Nishi-Kubo and the Kawarakemachi area suffered minor damage. Parts of Azabu and Ryūdo were damaged. Shibaguchi-dōri suffered damage in places. As for fires, a blaze starting from Katamonmae 1-chōme burned to Shinmei-mae and Shinmei-chō before being contained to just one side of the street. The Shiba temple precinct (Zōjō-ji) was undamaged. Shinsenza, Shin-Ami-chō, and Kanasugi-ura were severely damaged, and here the Satsuma domain's iron-hulled large ship was driven ashore. Even in such a calamity, people flocked like a marketplace to see this spectacle. Many other large and small vessels were driven ashore in great numbers. Mita, Shirogane, and Nihon-matsu suffered minor damage. Tamachi-dōri, Shichiken Chaya-machi, and Takanawa were severely damaged. From there, the areas of Susaki and Ryōshi-machi had houses washed away by a tsunami. Hamagawa, Suzugamori, Hachiman, Ōmori, and Haneda were extensively damaged by flooding.
Further out, Kawasaki, Daishi-kawara, Namamugi, Kanagawa, and Hodogaya suffered damage in various places. In Uraga harbor, the number of wrecked large ships was beyond counting. In the Kanazawa area, Enoshima, and both the east and west shores of Shichiri-ga-hama, all houses were swept away by the tsunami, with many deaths and injuries. Totsuka suffered damage in various places. At Fujisawa-juku, floodwaters from the Nishinomura Otonashi-gawa River swept away the entire one hundred koku of the Yūgyō-ji temple's landholdings, causing great harm to many. From Ōiso, Nango, and Umezawa to Odawara, there was damage in various places. In the opposite direction, the areas of Bōshū (Awa Province), Kazusa, and Kisarazu suffered much house damage from the tsunami.
**Summary Statistics:**
- Large ships: 85 vessels (of which 20 wrecked)
- Deaths: 480 persons
- Large-blade boats / large tea boats: 60 vessels (of which 30 wrecked)
- Injured: Innumerable
- Roofed boats and others: 249 vessels (of which 111 wrecked)
- Owner-occupied buildings: Over 89,500 structures
- Rental properties in Edo: 64,042 properties
**Place names labeled on the map:**
- Shiba Kanasugi-ura (芝金杉浦)
- Shiba Shinmei-mae (芝神明前)
- Tsukiji Mon-seki (築地門跡)
- Eitai-bashi (永代橋)
- Shin-Yoshiwara (新吉原)
- Shitaya Kanasugi (下谷金杉)