Yumeji Takehisa: Depicting the Great Kanto Earthquake 3

~ The Great Kanto Earthquake depicted by Yumeji Takehisa 3 ~

“Tokyo Disaster Picture Report” 2, Miyako Shimbun Posted on September 15, 1923

I visited the Asakusa Kannon-do temple. It was the first time I had ever seen so many people worshipping with such sincerity.

There may be scientific reasons why Kotohira Temple, Zojoji Temple, and the Kannon Hall survived the fires, but who could laugh at humans facing such cruelty from nature and still believe in some great power beyond knowledge?

I saw too many people placing their trust in gods and Buddhas. I saw hundreds of people crowded together at the "Omikuji-ba" (fortune-telling area) of the Kannon-do temple, hoping to trust their fate to a piece of paper.

They were not only old men and women who devote their daily lives to God; I also saw young gentlemen with Roman letters attached to the bands of their white cellophane suits, men in their thirties wearing Panama hats, and marriageable girls with their hair tied up.

I saw that the talismans for protection such as "safety of the family" and "prosperity of fortune" being sold next to them were not selling as well. These people probably no longer have families or wealth. I saw them now simply relying on omikuji (fortune-telling slips) to predict their future.

...

I felt that the painting lacked any human voice.

The sound of shoes scraping against the ground as people silently queued up to buy fortune slips.

The sound of money being paid for the kimono, I can hear it echoing in the depths of my ears.

The child, clinging to his mother's arms, was also speechless.

The sight of people who have lost the ability to think...

Yumeji used a simple tool, a black pen.

The depiction of an intense scene makes you want to run away when you look at it.

this year,

The number of people visiting shrines on New Year's Day 2022 increased significantly.

Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine is said to be about seven times more crowded than last year.

I'm sure they sold seven times as many fortune slips too.

Yumeji's words as he talks about the people silently lining up at the fortune slip stand are:

"Who could laugh at a belief in some great power outside of knowledge?"

Takehisa Yumeji's records are adapted to our times and are gentle.

Kyoko