江戸知識人の災難記録

Abstract

Japan has been affected by natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions. And many articles have been written by people have experienced a disaster. These articles give us hints to prevent disasters and information how to act in situations of natural disasters. I focus on essays among disaster articles, because essays contain a lot of personal impression compared to the public record. Eitai bridge collapsed during Tomioka-hachiman festival in 1807, killing or injuring about 1,500~3,000 people. Ota Nanpo and Santo Kyoden wrote the essay of the same title as <Yumeno Ukihashi> each after saw that accident. Nanpo was junior administrator of the Edo shogunate and Kyoden was a merchant but they are famous authors. Nanpo described sufferers and disaster situation dramatically used official documents. Rakugo <Eitaibashi> based on one episode of <Yumeno Ukihashi> by Nanpo, <Hokuetu Seppu>, or a book about the life of heavy snowfall region, introduced snow flood. Suzuki Bokusi a writer of <Hokuetu Seppu> experienced snow flood when he was a young. He not only described vividly it for Edo people who never have experienced it, but also analyzed a reason why it occurred. <Buko-jidono-ki> was wrtten by Saito Getsin who was a intelligent of the Edo. He recorded a disaster of Ansei great earthquakes. He wrote many episodes without filling. It seems like to repose of victims souls.