How a cursed kimono almost destroyed all of Tokyo
A chilling legend
Once upon a time, a stunning red kimono embroidered with a crane and delicate white, pink, and purple flowers became the center of a chilling legend. This exquisite garment brought joy to three young Japanese girls—until tragedy struck. Before they could wear the kimono with pride, all three mysteriously died. A priest, convinced the kimono carried a curse, decided to destroy it by fire. What followed was a catastrophe that changed the course of history.
The night Edo burned
On the night of March 1–2, 1657, the skies over Edo (modern-day Tokyo) erupted in flames. A priest had set fire to the cursed kimono, but the ritual took an unexpected turn. Sparks from the garment landed on a nearby house, and strong winds transformed the fire into an uncontrollable blaze.
Within hours, the fire tore through Edo, consuming entire neighborhoods. Over the course of three harrowing days, more than three-quarters of the city was reduced to ashes. The destruction was staggering: 500 palaces, 300 temples, 9,000 shops, and 61 bridges were lost. Beyond the material devastation, the human toll was unimaginable—over 100,000 people perished, in a city with a population of only 300,000.
Edo residents flee fire. Source: Wikimedia Commons
How did one fire cause such destruction?
Several factors contributed to the rapid spread of the fire:
Hurricane Winds: Strong winds from the northwest fanned the flames, accelerating their spread. By the second evening, shifting winds drove the fire deeper into the city center.
Flammable Buildings: Edo’s homes were predominantly constructed from wood and paper, materials that acted as kindling for the fire. A recent drought had left these buildings even drier and more vulnerable to combustion.
Narrow Streets: The city’s tightly packed wooden houses and narrow roads created a perfect storm for disaster. These conditions mirrored those in many European cities, such as London, which would face its own Great Fire just nine years later.
Inexperienced Firefighters: Edo’s fire brigade, known as the Hikeshi, had been established only a few decades earlier. Lacking both experience and proper equipment, they were overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the inferno.
The fall of Edo Castle
As the fire advanced, it reached Edo Castle at the heart of the city. Although the castle’s main tower survived, the outer buildings and most of the servants’ quarters were destroyed. Nearby shōgun residences in Kōjimachi were also reduced to ashes.
The aftermath: mourning and rebuilding
For days, thick smoke blanketed the city, as Edo grappled with its immense losses. Monks worked tirelessly to transport the dead via the Sumida River to Honjo, where mass graves were dug.
Reconstruction began almost immediately. It took two years to rebuild Edo, and the city’s layout was transformed. Wider streets were constructed to prevent future disasters, and many temples and shrines were relocated to the outskirts of the city.
A tragedy etched in history
The Great Fire of Meireki, as it came to be known, remains one of the most devastating disasters in Japanese history. Its death toll and destruction rival other tragedies, such as the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923, the firebombing of Tokyo in World War II, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
This catastrophic event not only reshaped Edo but also serves as a somber reminder of the fragile balance between nature, humanity, and fate.
Sources
Mysteries of the Unexplained: Astonishing Predictions, Bizarre Occurrences, Monstrous Creatures, Miraculous Experiences. The Readers Digest NV (Amsterdam), 1991.
G. Samson. A History of Japan: 1615–1867. Stanford University Press, 1963.
Accounts of the Reconstruction after the “Great Fire of Meireki.”