Introduction to materials related to the Great Kanto Earthquake held by the Libraries for Engineering and Information Science & Technology, the University of Tokyo.

2023.9.1
Update：2023.11.1

This year, 2023, will be the 100th anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake that occurred on September 1, 1923 (Taisho 12).
This web page introduces materials related to the Great Kanto Earthquake held by the Libraries for Engineering and Information Science & Technology, the University of Tokyo.
Some materials have images published in the Source materials for Engineering History: The University of Tokyo Digital Archive.

Click here for the special page about the University of Tokyo
　(In Japanese)「「関東大震災100年」関連イベント等のご案内」

Index

1. Large drawings related to the damage situation of the Great Kanto Earthquake and reconstruction plans (Takayama bunko, Department of Urban Engineering)
2. Photographs and Plans of reconstructed bridges after the Great Kanto Earthquake (Department of Civil Engineering)
3. Photos of a University of Tokyo building after the Great Kanto Earthquake (graduation album, Department of Naval Architecture)
4. Books related to the Great Kanto Earthquake held by the Libraries for Engineering and Information Science & Technology
5. Change of library owner stamps due to burning

a. Large drawings related to the damage situation of the Great Kanto Earthquake and reconstruction plans (Takayama bunko, Department of Urban Engineering)

Department of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo has the Takayama bunko, which consists mainly of the collection of the late Professor Eika Takayama (1910-1999), an urban planner.
Many large maps and drawings are also included. Some of them express the damage situation and reconstruction plan of the Great Kanto Earthquake.
　(Holding: Engineering Bldg. 14 Library)

• 大正十二年九月一日大震火災ニ於ケル東京市内及近郊火元及焼止
  　：Labeled with "内務省都市計画課 (Ministry of the Interior Urban Planning Division)". Created by processing a map printed on April 25, 1925 by the Ordnance Survey Department of the Empire of Japan. The cause of the fire and the status of extinguishing were written in color on the map.
• 大正十二年九月一日震災東京附近ニ於ケル鐡筋コンクリート造建築物被害分布図東京地圖
  　：Stamped with "復興局建築部 (Construction Department, Reconstruction Bureau)". On a blank map of Tokyo, the results of investigations by the Metropolitan Police Department Security Department Construction Division, such as burned areas, completely collapsed, and partially collapsed, were written in color.
• 大震災ニ基因スル燒失區域及残存建築物配置図（横濱）
  　：Stamped with "内務省都市計画局 (Ministry of the Interior Urban Planning Bureau)". This map was filled in with colors to show the extent of the burnt range, and the area and structure of the buildings that remained there.
• CITY PLANNING SCHEME OF GREATER TOKIO
  　：Stamped with "内務大臣官房都市計画課印 (Stamp of the Interior Minister's Secretariat Urban Planning Division)" and signed by Hiroyoshi Yamada (who drafted reconstruction plans for Tokyo and Yokohama at the Imperial City Restoration Department). This map is presumed to represent Tokyo's roadmap for reconstruction.

大正十二年九月一日大震火災ニ於ケル 東京市内及近郊火元及燒止圖		大正十二年九月一日震災東京附近ニ於ケル 鐡筋コンクリート造建築物被害分布圖:東京地圖
大震災ニ基因スル燒失區域及残存建築物配置図（横濱）		CITY PLANNING SCHEME OF GREATER TOKIO

References

• (In Japanese) Kousuke ITOH, Masaharu OOSAWA, Takashi ITOH, Execution System of Imperial Capital Reconstruction Project after Great Kanto Earthquake, Journal of Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Ser. D2 (Historical Studies in Civil Engineering), 2013, Vol. 69, No. 1, p. 16-30. (J-STAGE)
• (In Japanese) Kousuke ITOH, Masaharu OOSAWA, Takashi ITOH, Reconstruction Project after Kanto Earthquake and Hiroyoshi Yamada, Historical studies in civil engineering : proceedings of the annual conference, 2011, 31, p. 255-260.（Link directly to the PDF of Japan Society of Civil Engineers）
• (In Japanese) The Hidden Room, Takayama-Bunko - Urban Design Lab. Magazine, Vol. 267, June 30th 2018.（Link directly to the PDF of The Urban Design Lab, Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo）

b. Photographs and plans of reconstructed bridges after the Great Kanto Earthquake (Department of Civil Engineering)

Photos and drawings of bridges made for reconstruction.
It is presumed that Dr. Yutaka Tanaka, who was the Bridge Section Chief of the Civil Engineering Department of the Reconstruction Bureau of the Home Ministry and a professor of the Department of Civil Engineering at Tokyo Imperial University, left it behind.
　(Holding: Engineering Bldg. 1 Library A)

• List of photographs and plans of reconstructed bridges after the Great Kanto Earthquake
  　：Some materials have images published in the Source materials for Engineering History: The University of Tokyo Digital Archive. (Photographs / Plans)

"言問橋工事寫眞　五 / [Photograph 5 of the construction of Kototoi-Bashi Bridge]" Contents 34	"永代橋設計圖　上 / [Plan of Eitai-bashi Bridge, the first volume of two volumes]" Contents 3

References

• (In Japanese) Yu NAKAI, Design Concept of Six Bridges in Sumida-river of the Tokyo Reconstruction Work in Taisho era and Design Process of Eitai Bridge and Kiyosu Bridge, Journal of Historical Studies in Civil Engineering, 2004, Vol. 23, p. 13-21. (J-STAGE)
• (In Japanese) Yu NAKAI, Kindai Nihon no kyoryo dezain shiso : sannin no enjinia no shōgai to shigoto (The modernization of bridge design in Japan : the careers and the works of the three Japanese civil engineers), Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai (The University of Tokyo Press), 2005, 641p. (UTokyo OPAC | National Diet Library, Japan | OCLC)

c. Photos of a University of Tokyo building after the Great Kanto Earthquake (graduation album, Department of Naval Architecture)

Photographs of the damaged school building attached to the 1924 graduation album. (Holding: Engineering Bldg. 3 Library)

• [Graduation Album. Marine Engineering Department, the Faculty of Engineering, Tokyo Imperial University 1924] （Contents 7,8）

Classroom with fallen ceiling

Damaged school building (the ceiling has fallen, and you can see another building through the window)

d. Books related to the Great Kanto Earthquake held by the Libraries for Engineering and Information Science & Technology

d-1. Modern published books

d-2. Books published after the earthquake

e. Change of library owner stamps due to burning

In the book "Zoushoin Shusei", 4 items are recorded as the stamps of the Tokyo Imperial University Library, and it is stated that these were destroyed by the Great Kanto Earthquake on September 1, 1923.
Since then, the stamps were remade.
Here are some of the imprints that were left by those stamps on materials held by the Libraries for Engineering and Information Science & Technology.

• Stamp before the earthquake:

「東京帝國大學圖書印 [Taisho8(1919)-12(1923)]」 8×8cm	「東京帝國大學圖書印 [-Taisho12(1923)]」 Diameter 3.5cm	「東京帝國大學圖書 [-Taisho12(1923)]」 3×0.9cm

• Stamp after the earthquake:

「東京帝國大學圖書印 [Taisho12(1923)-Showa35(1960)]」 5.9×5.9cm The stamp was created to have a nearly identical imprint, but smaller in size.

Image source material

• 「東京帝國大學圖書印 [大正8-12]」: 鑛山聞書 (Holding: Engineering Bldg. 3 Library)
• 「東京帝國大學圖書印 [-大正12_円形]」: Naval electrician's text and hand book (Holding: Engineering Bldg. 3 Library)
• 「東京帝國大學圖書 [-大正12]」: The naval pocket-book : with numerous plans (Holding: Engineering Bldg. 3 Library)
• 「東京帝國大學圖書印 [大正12-昭和35]」: 和漢舩用集　巻第3-4 (Holding: Engineering Bldg. 3 Library)

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