'My hopes for Tokyo' and other children's stories from the Great Kantō Earthquake

Abstract

When a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Tokyo on September 1, 1923, the disaster uprooted the lives of the capital’s youngest residents. The Great Kantō Earthquake killed over 5,000 children, and left thousands more hungry, homeless, and helpless. In addition to losing their homes and their belongings, many children also lost their school. What gave children hope in the aftermath of this disaster? In turn, how did children themselves bring hope to adults and the broader community charged with the task of reconstructing Tokyo? In this paper, I will examine a collection of essays that children wrote in makeshift schools in the ruins of Tokyo. These remarkable accounts provide a panoramic view into children’s firsthand experiences of Japan’s worst natural disaster and daily life in the aftermath. As well as being poignant reminders of the disaster, children also conveyed messages of hope. In 1924, city officials recognised that these essays struck a fine balance between reflecting on the past and dreaming of a better future, making them ideal for use in commemorative exhibitions and publications. Following the earthquake, I suggest that children played an important role as the future generation to be listened to, learned from and inspired by. Individual promises to study hard, avoid extravagance and help to make society better represented values that government officials wanted to cultivate in 1920s Japan. Above all else, children envisioned a bright future for Tokyo embracing the idea of new technology and infrastructure that would better prepare the capital for future disasters.