The Great Fire of Okemachi - Okecho no Taika

Japanese: 桶町の大火 - おけちょうのたいか

The Great Fire of Edo in 1641 (Kan'ei 18). On the last day of January, at the hour of the Rat, a fire broke out at Okemachi 1-chome, Kyobashi. Fanned by a strong wind, the fire spread to Shiba Utagawa Bridge in the south, Kobikicho Beach in the east, Onaribashi in the north, and Azabu in the west, burning 97 blocks and 1,924 houses, including 121 daimyo and hatamoto residences and 56 doshin residences, and killing several hundred people. The fire was finally extinguished at the hour of the Dog on the same day. Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu himself took command at the Otemon Gate of Edo Castle, and the various daimyo received letters from the senior councilors to put out the fire, but there was nothing they could do and most of Edo was burned down.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

1641年(寛永18)の江戸の大火。1月晦日，子（ね）の刻に京橋桶町1丁目より出火，烈風にあおられ，南は芝宇多川橋，東は木挽町海岸，北は御成橋，西は麻布まで延焼，97町，1924戸，うち大名および旗本屋敷121，同心屋敷56軒を焼き，数百人の焼死者を出して，同日戌（いぬ）の刻，ようやく鎮火した。将軍徳川家光もみずから江戸城の大手門に出て陣頭指揮をとり，諸大名も老中奉書を受け消火に当たったが，いかんともしがたく，江戸の大半を焼失する結果となった。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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