After the Earthquake

After the Great Kantō Earthquake, historian Kita Sadakichi tries to restore his damaged home and resume his work. Water returns, trains creep along repaired tracks, families build makeshift shelters, and letters finally arrive from anxious friends.

His journeys through Tokyo, Yokohama, and Kamakura reveal both destruction and recovery: shattered Buddhist images, crowded relief centers, open-air schools, and railway passengers forced through carriage windows. Daily entries give way to sharp anecdotes about profiteering, police violence, social distinctions, and unexpected family reunions.

First published in December 1923, these aftermath notes offer an immediate, personal account of a society unsettled by disaster. Kita’s observations are often compassionate, sometimes severe, and occasionally contradictory, preserving the uncertainty of life amid the ruins.