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16-600: On March 2, 1657, the Great Fire of Meireki destroyed 60 to 70% of the city of Edo (Tokyo) and killed about 100,000 people. The shōgun Tokugawa Ietsuna wished to commemorate the victims of the fire, most of whom were not survived by relatives. For this purpose he erected a monument called the Banninzuka (Mound of a Million Souls) and held a great memorial service conducted by Jun'yo Jōjin ( 遵誉上人 , Holy Priest Junyo) of Zōjō-ji . A temple for prayers to Amida Buddha

32-498: A drought the previous year, and the roads and other open spaces between buildings were small and narrow, allowing the fire to spread and grow particularly quickly. (Many cities in Europe had similar problems, being built of flammable material and tightly packed; the Great Fire of London nine years later was of similar magnitude.) Though Edo had designated fire brigades , the hikeshi , it had been established only 21 years earlier, and

48-796: A place where apprentice wrestlers come to pray for power. After World War II , sumo tournaments moved to various venues in Tokyo and then to the Kuramae Kokugikan arena in Taitō, Tokyo , before returning to the Ryōgoku district in 1985. The current Ryōgoku Kokugikan arena is located only about 400 meters from the temple. 35°41′36.39″N 139°47′31.31″E  /  35.6934417°N 139.7920306°E  / 35.6934417; 139.7920306 Great Fire of Meireki The Great Fire of Meireki ( 明暦の大火 , Meireki no taika ) , also known as

64-434: Is the practice of extinguishing a conflagration, protecting life and property and minimizing damage and injury. One of the goals of fire prevention is to avoid conflagrations. When a conflagration is extinguished, there is often a fire investigation to determine the cause of the fire. During a conflagration a significant movement of air and combustion products occurs. Hot gaseous products of combustion move upward, causing

80-695: The Great Furisode Fire , destroyed 60–70% of Edo (now Tokyo ), the then de facto capital city of Japan, on 2 March 1657, the third year of the Meireki Imperial era . The fire lasted for three days and, in combination with a severe blizzard that quickly followed, is estimated to have killed over 100,000 people. The fire was said to have been started accidentally by a priest who was cremating an allegedly cursed furisode kimono that had been owned in succession by three teenage girls who all died before ever being able to wear it. When

96-668: The bodies of the dead down the Sumida River to Honjo, Sumida , a community on the eastern side of the river. There, pits were dug and the bodies buried; the Ekō-in (Hall of Prayer for the Dead) was then built on the site. Reconstruction efforts took two years, as the shogunate took the opportunity to reorganize the city according to various practical considerations. Under the guidance of Rōjū Matsudaira Nobutsuna , streets were widened and some districts replanned and reorganized; special care

112-628: The castle, and a number of temples and shrines were relocated to the banks of the river. One of the greatest disasters in Japanese history, the death and destruction caused by the Meireki fire was nearly comparable to that suffered in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake and the 1945 bombing of Tokyo in World War II . Both these 20th-century events, like the Meireki fire less than three centuries earlier, saw roughly 100,000 deaths, and destruction of

128-489: The garment was being burned, a large gust of wind reportedly fanned the flames, causing the wooden temple to ignite. The fire began on the eighteenth day of the year , in Edo's Hongō district, and spread quickly through the city, due to hurricane-force winds that were blowing from the northwest. Edo, like all Japanese cities and towns at the time, was built primarily from wood and paper. The buildings were especially dry due to

144-591: The majority of the city. Conflagration A conflagration is a large fire . Conflagrations often damage human life, animal life, health, and/or property. A conflagration can begin accidentally or be intentionally created ( arson ). A very large fire can produce a firestorm , in which the central column of rising heated air induces strong inward winds, which supply oxygen to the fire. Conflagrations can cause casualties including deaths or injuries from burns , trauma due to collapse of structures and attempts to escape, and smoke inhalation . Firefighting

160-460: The origin of the current professional sumo, was first held in the temple in September 1768. The temple was the site of all tournaments from October 1833 to 1909. These 76 years are known as the period of "Ekō-in sumō". A large, two-story temporary facility was built next to the temple for the sumo matches. In 1909, the tournaments were moved into the original Ryōgoku Kokugikan , a modern arena in

176-412: The outer buildings and all of the retainers' and servants' homes were destroyed. Finally, on the third day, the winds died down, as did the flames, but thick smoke prevented movement about the city, removal of bodies, and reconstruction for several more days. The shogunate's relief efforts were swift. After the fire was extinguished, 900 tons of rice and 160,000 ryo were immediately provided. The amount

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192-609: The temple precincts that had a capacity of 13,000 spectators and that was nicknamed as the Great Iron Umbrella. This contributed to the popularity of the sport by making it possible to hold sumo tournaments regardless of the weather. Also in the precincts is a monument called the Chikara-zuka ( 力塚 , 'power mound') , built in 1937 by the Sumo Association as a memorial to past wrestlers. Today it has become

208-553: Was built at the same time. This was the origin of the Ekō-in, which today continues to offer a resting place for any soul who did not leave relatives behind, including victims of natural disasters, prisoners, and animals. The temple was known as a sumo wrestling venue during the Edo and Meiji periods . The kanjin-zumō , a charity fund raising event permitted by the Tokugawa shogunate and

224-462: Was simply not large enough, experienced enough, or well-equipped enough to face such a conflagration . On the second evening, the winds changed, and the fire was pushed from the southern edges of the city back towards its center. The homes of the shōgun's closest retainers in Kōjimachi were destroyed as the fire made its way towards Edo castle , at the very center of the city. The main keep , most of

240-432: Was so enormous that there were even concerns within the shogunate about financial ruin. However, Hoshina Masayuki pushed forward with the relief efforts. His words remain: "The shogunate's savings are meant to be used in times like these to reassure the people. If we don't use them now, it's as if we have no savings at all." On the 24th day of the new year, six days after the fire began, monks and others began to transport

256-435: Was taken to restore Edo's mercantile center, thus protecting and boosting to some extent the overall national economy. Commoners and samurai retainers alike were granted funds from the government for the rebuilding of their homes, and the restoration of the shōgun's castle was left to be completed last. The area around the castle was reorganized to leave greater spaces to act as firebreaks; retainers' homes were moved further from

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