Episode 636 – The Catastrophe, Part 4

August 7, 2026

Why did so many greet the destruction of Tokyo not with consternation, but seeming joy? The answer has to do with one of the most complex phenomenon in the history of modern urbanism, and with the history of Edo’s transformation into Tokyo and all the modern vices that came with it.

Sources

Schencking, J. Charles. The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Chimera of National Reconstruction in Japan

Images

Ginza after the quake.
The post-destruction Yoshiwara.
Ryounkaku before and after the quake.
Ryounkaku surrounded by the flourishing hedonism of Asakusa.
Even our old friend the mangaka Kitazawa Rakuten got in on the social commentary of the quake. This cover for Jiji Manga shows a catfish (symbol of luck) stripping away luxury and vanity from an ostentatious city slicker lady and replacing them with the “cloak of earnestness.”