Sketch of the Great Earthquake in 1923 in the Kanto District
関東大震災画巻
- Birth Year
- 1899
- Death Year
- 1989
- Date
- 1923
- Technique, Material, Format
- slight color on paper, scroll
- Dimension
- 27.8 x 770.5 cm
- Donor name
- Mr. Nakajima Kiyoshi
- Category
- Watercolor or Drawing by Japanese Artist
- Inventory Number
- 82-DRJ-007
In his diary entry from the day of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, Nakajima Kiyoshi wrote, “At a time of peace, we were suddenly struck by a disaster like from an ancient tale.” After his house in Yamamoto-cho, Yokohama, was destroyed, Kiyoshi spent several days sleeping outdoors and returning to the burnt-out ruins to sketch the horrific scenes. He made this painting in Niigata, where he soon went to get his parents to safety. Depicted as seen from the hill in Yamate, the burnt out areas of Yamashita-cho, Kannai, and Isezaki-cho have been drawn with a quick touch. The experience must have inspired him somehow to capture his raw memories in a single scroll painting. The buildings that survived the fires, such as the Yokohama Specie Bank and the Yokohama Port Opening Memorial Hall, are drawn in detail, with even their names visible, making this not just an important work of art, but a valuable historical record as well.
(UCHIYAMA Junko)