Great fire of Meireki

The Great Fire of Meireki (明暦の大火, Meireki no taika) was a major event in the history of Tokyo, which was called Edo before 1868.^[1]

Handscroll depicting scenes from the Great Fire of Meireki (kept at the Edo-Tokyo Museum)

The fire destroyed more than half of the city of Edo in March 1657.^[2]

History

The fire lasted for more than one day:

• March 2–3, 1657 (Meireki 3, 18th-19th days of the 1st month): The city of Edo was destroyed by the "Great Fire of Meireki".^[3]

An estimated 100,000 lives were lost.^[2]

Edo was soon re-built.^[4]