Aftershocks: Japanese Earthquake Prints (1 of 3)
Shaking Foundations: Experience Edo’s unshakeable spirit through these satirical prints.
How do you mend a broken society?
You’re viewing Aftershocks: Story 1 - Shaking Foundations
Explore more stories and prints from Aftershocks:
Aftershocks: Story 2 - A Spectrum of Emotions
Aftershocks: Story 3 - A Fleeting Hope for Change
Visit ROM Collections Online to view the full collection in detail.
What’s shaking with our exhibition collaborators?
Pun intended. Akiko Takesue, Bishop White Committee Associate Curator of Japanese Art and Culture, ROM, and Yuko Shimizu, former Executive Director (2017-2022) of The Japan Foundation, Toronto.
Front cover view of panorama of album of earthquake prints (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
When disaster strikes, humour heals.
The colourful woodblock prints in this online exhibition were made in response to a massive earthquake that struck the city of Edo (modern day Tokyo) in 1855.
Front cover view of panorama of album of earthquake prints (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
Soon after the earthquake, prints like these were cheaply made and widely sold around the city.
Back cover view of panorama of album of earthquake prints (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
Weeks after the earthquake struck Edo in 1855, a survivor of the earthquake, Yūgi Dōjin, assembled 87 prints in the album shown here.
Front cover view of panorama of album of earthquake prints (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
After collecting the prints, Yūgi Dōjin created a preface for the album. He wrote about a common belief in Edo that the earthquake was the result of deeper social problems in society. He urged surviving generations to build a more virtuous world.
Back cover view of panorama of album of earthquake prints (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
Today, the album is part of ROM collections in Toronto, Canada. Visit ROM Collections Online to view the full collection in detail.
Front cover view of panorama of album of earthquake prints (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
These prints reflect Edo’s experiences with the earthquake and its aftermath. Notice how some prints document the devastation and express sorrow for the victims.
Front cover view of panorama of album of earthquake prints (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
Yet many prints use humour and satire to offer survivors a reason to smile.
Back cover view of panorama of album of earthquake prints (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
As you explore, consider how communities make sense of disaster and find ways to cope in its aftermath.
Australia Fires, Steve Sack, 01/13/2020.
Whether it’s a print, political cartoon, or meme, media can spark important conversations through skillful combination of words and images. Think of the last piece of media you encountered. What did it intend to say? What made the message clear?
Back cover view of panorama of album of earthquake prints - Modified and Cropped (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
Shaking Foundations
In this story, explore prints that document the damage to the land from the 1855 earthquake. The texts and visuals reference a popular folk belief to explain the cause of such devastation.
When these prints, called “catfish prints” or namazu-e, were made in 1855, people in Edo (modern day Tokyo, Japan) told stories of a giant catfish living deep underground causing earthquakes. It was usually kept under control by Kashima, a deity that pinned it down with a stone to stop its destruction. As the story goes, when Kashima was away for one day during the tenth month of 1855, the catfish shook off the stone and thrashed around. On the surface, Edo was thrown into disarray.
Untitled (Monster catfish, the deity Kashima, and the kaname-ishi stone) (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
A guardian sleeps, a catfish wriggles, Edo burns.
This print interprets the earthquake folk belief. The deity Kashima rushes to the scene on horseback and tries to restore order.
Untitled (Kashima Deity pressing down giant catfish with Kaname-ishi) (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
The deity Kashima firmly holds the kaname-ishi foundation stone on the catfish, bringing it under his control. This scene symbolized Edo regaining control over disaster and reassured the people of Edo that they would recover from the disaster.
Ryogoku Sumo Matching (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
In this sumo match, the foundation stone takes the form of a wrestler defeating the catfish. The deity Kashima declares the winner—reassuring the viewer that the earthquake is under control.
Look for three main features from the folk belief in these catfish prints:
Actor Nakamura Fukusuke as Fuku of Kaname-ishi (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
Look for catfish, symbolizing the cause of the earthquake.
Funny Story of Earthquake (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
Look for the deity Kashima, in charge of controlling the catfish.
Untitled (Kashima Deity pressing down giant catfish with Kaname-ishi) (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
Look for the kaname-ishi foundation stone, held by the deity Kashima who controls the catfish.
You can visit the site of the foundation stone at the Kashima shrine in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan (about a 2.5-hour train ride from Tokyo). The stone is buried in the ground and only the top part is visible. It is protected by a fence and a torii gate.
Get up close and personal with catfish
Curator of Fishes Dr. Nathan K. Lujan explores Japanese common catfish, Silurus asotus, from the Royal Ontario Museum collection.
From barbels to caudal fins, use your controls to explore this catfish specimen from the ROM collection. Please allow some time for the 3D model to load.
Explore this Catfish Specimen (2022-08)Royal Ontario Museum
REPORTING OF THE DISASTER. Documentary-style imagery like the prints in this group can foster deep empathy for victims and promote healing in communities. In the mid-1800s, these prints take journalistic views, acting as an essential source of information for all those affected by the earthquake. Notice how the environment is captured in camera-like detail, as if the printmakers were eyewitnesses to disaster and recovery.
Untitled (Damage of the Disaster) (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
This print recreates the destruction of Edo in vivid detail. The text in the background lists affected areas and collapsed storehouses.
It also announces the location of the five aid centres established by the government to aid recovery in the city.
This information helped people navigate the dangerous environment in the days after the earthquake.
Picture of Yoshiwara being burnt down (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
The area of Yoshiwara—the official redlight district and centre of social and artistic life in Edo—was completely burnt down due to the fires caused by the earthquake.
Over 630 courtesans and many customers fell victim. Here, the broken buildings and pained expressions on the victims’ faces convey the chaos of the earthquake.
LIVING THROUGH DISASTER. These two prints show Edo townspeople coping with the disaster, physically and mentally. Scenes of survivors living on the street are accompanied with parody poems and puns to lighten the harsh realities shown. A picture of the official mass memorial service comforted the spirits of the dead and helped survivors deal with their loss.
Parodic Poems about Experiencing Earthquake: Names of Things (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
Many people spent the first few nights after the earthquake outdoors, afraid of aftershocks and other threats.
Notice the makeshift tatami mats and folding screens survivors used for temporary shelter.
Buddhist Memorial Service for People Died of Earthquake (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
This print represents memorial services that were sponsored by the government.
The spirits of those crushed by falling buildings or trapped by fire are drawn in blue and grey to indicate their ghostly state.
They surround monks who lead the service.
"Not as a resource, but as a relation."
Hear Professor Kristen Bos, Co-Director of the Indigenous-led Environmental Data Justice Lab, Technoscience Research Unit, University of Toronto, respond to the prints and discuss environmental violence and justice.
Cherry Blossoms on the Banks of the Tama River, from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (1856) by Utagawa HiroshigeRoyal Ontario Museum
A Different Vision of Edo
Made just four months after the earthquake, this print showing blossoming cherry trees suggests a healed landscape of Edo after the earthquake. As time passed, catfish prints were no longer produced, and the memory of disaster began to fade.
Parodic Poems about Experiencing Earthquake: Names of Things (1855) by Maker names unrecordedRoyal Ontario Museum
To remember a crisis from your experience for the future, what picture would you choose?
How do you mend a broken society?
You’re viewing Aftershocks: Story 1 - Shaking Foundations
Explore more stories and prints from Aftershocks:
Aftershocks: Story 2 - A Spectrum of Emotions
Aftershocks: Story 3 - A Fleeting Hope for Change
Visit ROM Collections Online to view the full collection in detail.
In order to help ROM improve such experiences in the future , please take this short survey. It will take about 5 minutes of your time to complete.
Co-Presenter:
The Japan Foundation, Toronto
Guest Video Contributors:
Kristen Bos
Dr. Jazmin Scarlett
Dr. Nathan Lujan
Dr. Greg Smits
ROM Community Advisory Panelists
© Royal Ontario Museum
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