英語訳
## Explanation of Earthquakes (Jishin no Ben)
**(Yellow ○)** This color indicates the provinces that experienced a great earthquake on the 4th day of the 11th month of Kaei 7 (the Year of the Kinoe-Tora, 1854).
**(Blue ○)** This color indicates the locations where, on the same day and month, the offshore waters began to roar after the earthquake, and a great tsunami struck around the fifth half-hour of the night (approximately 9 p.m.).
**(Red ○)** This color indicates the areas affected by the great earthquake that struck the Kantō provinces on the night of the 2nd day of the 10th month of Ansei 2 (1855). Note that there was no tsunami on this occasion.
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In general, all things between Heaven and Earth are fundamentally composed of the two forces of Yin and Yang. When these two forces are in harmony, all is peaceful and calm. The thickness of the Earth is said to be ninety thousand *ri*, and throughout its interior there are holes and cavities—in some places resembling a beehive, in others resembling the veins of a mushroom. Water and fire pass in and out through these passages. However, when Yin energy becomes blocked above and Yang energy is suppressed below, the Yang energy attempts to rise but cannot. As a result, the earth gradually swells, and eventually, when the time comes, the Yang energy bursts through the Yin and surges upward. At this moment, the great earth shakes violently. This is like the way a rice cake (*mochi*) swells up as it is grilled and the heat of the fire gradually penetrates through to its core. Therefore, when a powerful earthquake first strikes, mud and sand are blown up from underground, and the ground feels as though it is sinking—this is because the Yang energy has been released and the underground cavities that had swelled up are now contracting. However, since they do not contract all at once, the earth continues to tremble slightly thirty to fifty times, or perhaps twenty to thirty times, over the course of a full day and night, before gradually returning to its original state.
It should therefore be understood that, even if the earth shakes repeatedly after a great earthquake, there is a natural principle (*kotowari*) by which a shock as large as the first will not occur again. From ancient times to the present, great earthquakes in both Japan and China have occurred many times, and they have already been recorded in written histories; from the accounts of people who have witnessed them, all follow this same pattern.
Despite this, people fear that another great tremor will strike, and day after day they erect makeshift shelters along the main roads, exposing themselves to cold winds and the chill of the night air, and thoughtlessly end up falling ill. Those who understand this principle even a little should explain it carefully to women and children, and ensure that no one continues to sleep by the roadside for long periods.
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○ A popular belief holds that there is a giant catfish (*namazu*) beneath the earth, and that when it moves its tail fin, the earth shakes because of this. The basis for this belief is not entirely clear, but on the cover of a calendar (*koyomi*) from the 9th year of the Kenkyū era (1198), a creature called the "earthquake insect" was depicted in illustration, with the names of all sixty-six provinces of Japan written alongside it. This kind of belief has been in circulation for six or seven hundred years. In Buddhist scriptures, earthquakes are attributed to the deeds of a dragon. Such were the ancient explanations, as recorded in a book called *Jishin-kō* (A Study of Earthquakes). It appears that in books of that era, this illustration was invariably included, and the creature depicted is not in fact a catfish but a strange, dragon-like being.
Here, I have borrowed that same illustration for the purpose of allowing the reader to see at a glance the provinces that suffered from earthquake and tsunami disasters during the two years of Tora and U (the years of the Tiger and Rabbit, i.e., Kaei 7/Ansei 1–2, 1854–1855).
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**[Province names listed on the map:]**
Awa, Kazusa, Hitachi, Mutsu, Musashi, Shimotsuke, Dewa, Kōzuke, Suruga, Kai, Shinano, Hida, Izu, Islands of Izu, Tōtōmi, Mikawa, Owari, Mino, Shima, Ise, Iga, Ōmi, Echigo, Sado, Etchū, Kaga, Noto, Echizen, Lake (Biwa), Kii, Yamato, Kawachi, Izumi, Yamashiro, Wakasa, Awaji, Settsu, Tamba, Tango, Oki, Tajima, Mimasaka, Harima, Inaba, Hōki, Bitchū, Bingo, Hōki, Izumo, Iwami, Aki, Suō, Nagato, Awa, Tosa, Sanuki, Iyo, Bungo, Hyūga, Ōsumi, Satsuma, Chikugo, Higo, Hizen, Chikuzen, Buzen, Gotō (islands)