英語訳
## Kawaraban (News Broadsheet) Concerning the Great Edo Fire of the Third Month of Bunsei 12 (1829)
**Main Text:**
On the 21st day of the 3rd month of Bunsei 12 (the Year of the Ox), at around the Hour of the Snake in the morning (approximately 10 a.m.), a fire broke out from a timber yard in Sakumachō 2-chōme, Sotokanda. A fierce north wind was blowing at the time, and the fire leapt to the base of Yanagihara embankment, causing one of the shogunate's rice storehouses (籾倉, *momigura*) to burn down. From there, the flames spread widely and with great ferocity, burning toward Kodemma-chō, the Jail (牢屋, *rōya*), and Daimon-dōri. The Daimaru dry-goods store, as well as the homes and storehouses of other major merchants in the vicinity, were all burned away. The Kabuki and puppet theaters in Fukiya-chō and Sakai-chō were also destroyed.
To the east, the fire spread to the vicinity of the Shogunal Daikan's residence, Bakurō-chō, Yokoyama-chō, and Tachibana-chō, and further to Yanagibashi and the Ryōgoku Hirokōji (broad avenue). It swept as far as the Ya-no-kura (arrow storehouses), the residences of various *daimyō* lords, Hamachō, the edge of Eikyū Bridge, and Eitai Bridge, then moved to Hakozaki, Shinkawa, Shimbori, and Reigan Island, burning the residence of the Lord of Echizen and all the surrounding townhouses without exception. Flying embers reached Tsukuda Island, burning the entire island to the ground.
From the Sujikaibashi junction, the fire also spread to the areas of Suda-chō, Mikawa-chō, Nabe-chō, Kaji-chō, Tachikan Bridge, Imagawa Bridge, Shiro-gane-chō, Ishi-chō, Honchō, Suruga-chō, destroying both stores of the Echigoya (a major draper, the predecessor of Mitsukoshi), and burning all the great merchant establishments of the Muromachi area. Odawara-chō, Setomono-chō (pottery district), Ise-chō, Nihonbashi, Edobashi, Yokkaichi, Arameabashi, Komatsu-chō, Terifuri-chō, Koami-chō, Honzaimoku-chō, Kaizoku Bridge, Kayabachō, North and South Hatchōbori, Teppōzu, Tsukiji, and the grounds of the Monzeki temple were all entirely burned. Countless residences of *daimyō* lords—including those of the Hitotsubashi house and the Owari house's warehouse compound—were also destroyed. In the Kibikichō area, the Kii Domain's warehouse compound and other residences, the Kawarasaki Kabuki theater, and all the townhouses were destroyed, with the flames reaching even the residence of the Okudaira clan.
The fire also caused Nihonbashi bridge itself to burn and fall, then burned through Dōriya-chō, Nakabashi, Hirokōji, and brought Kyōbashi bridge down as well. Ginza-chō, Sanjikken-bori, Owari-chō, Takekawa-chō, and from Shinbashi to Shiodome, the residence of Lord Wakisaka suffered partial damage. Additionally, Isseki Bridge, the riverbank, Gofuku-chō, Himono-chō, Oke-chō, Bikuni-chō, Yumi-chō, Sukiya riverbank, and South Nabe-chō all burned to the edge of Dobashi bridge. Finally, at around half-past the Hour of the Rat in the evening (approximately 5 a.m. the following morning), the fire was at last subdued.
On this day, the north wind was particularly fierce, at times mixing with westerly winds and then swirling around as an east wind (*kochi*), hurling sand and whipping up dust. Driven by the wind, the flames rose in an unbroken blaze, as if scorching the very heavens. In the streets and alleys in all four directions, people of all ages and both sexes abandoned the possessions and clothing they had managed to rescue, scattering in all directions in confusion. Parents abandoned children; children were separated from parents; husbands and wives were torn apart. People stumbled over abandoned belongings, fell and rolled about, were trampled to death or burned alive. The sound of weeping and screaming shook heaven and earth, no different from the screaming hell of Buddhist lore. It was a sight too terrible to behold—words like "pitiful" do not begin to describe it.
The number of storehouses (*dozō*) belonging to the lords and townspeople of every district—storehouses built at such great effort—that burned and collapsed was beyond counting, with no time to tally them. Furthermore, that all three Kabuki theaters burned down at the same time is something that must be called unprecedented in all of history.
As a result of all this, after the fire was subdued, the vacant houses remaining in unburned neighborhoods were immediately all taken up, leaving those who sought shelter with no means of finding a home. Countless people were forced to sleep outdoors, their hardship beyond description. Therefore, with benevolence too great to speak of, the government (the shogunate) extended its compassion: emergency relief shelters (*sukui-goya*) were immediately erected at open spaces throughout the city, and those wandering the roads were housed there. Moreover, food for morning and evening meals was provided, alleviating the suffering of all the people. The benevolence of our lord (the Shogun) is something to be revered above all reverence—truly an event without precedent in all of history.
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**[Lower Right] Locations of Relief Shelters (*Sukui-goya*):**
- Outside Sujikaibashi Gate — 1 location
- Edobashi Hirokōji — same
- Outside Saiwai Bridge Gate — same
- Outside Sukiyabashi Gate — same
- Outside Kandabashi Gate — same
- Outside Tokiwabashi Gate — same
- Matsuyabashi Riverbank — same
- In front of Tsukiji Monzeki — same
**Total: 8 locations**
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**[Lower Left] Map Legend:**
- ■ Upper Residence (*kami-yashiki*)
- ▲ Middle Residence (*naka-yashiki*)
- ● Lower Residence (*shimo-yashiki*)
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**[Within the Map]** Numerous place names, bridge names, and *daimyō* estate names are recorded across the burned area, spanning from Sujikaibashi Gate in the north to the southern districts, including Tsukuda Island and Reigan Island. A note in the map states: "All the large ships here were burned" (referring to the Tsukuda Island / Ishikawa Island area).