Yokohama Earthquake Memorial Museum
“The earthquake!! Even the most forgetful Japanese, especially those in the Kanto region, will not forget the horror and devastation of the disaster, which is too tragic to discuss with ease."
This sentence is taken from the book “Historical Sites and Scenic Spots in Yokohama (Yokohama series; Volume 1)", which was published in 1928.
There used to be a facility called the Yokohama Earthquake Memorial Museum. I only found out about it the other day, but it had been demolished more than 30 years ago.
I post a photograph of the building from the same book.
The Great Kanto Earthquake occurred on 1 September 1923.
Yokohama City was closer to the epicenter than Tokyo, and as there was a lot of reclaimed land in the city, it was severely damaged.
The number of houses completely destroyed in Yokohama was approximately 16 000, which was higher than the figure for Tokyo (12 000).
The number of dead and missing was 32,838 in Kanagawa Prefecture and 26,623 in Yokohama City at the time.
The city of Yokohama built the Earthquake Memorial Museum in the hope that people would not forget that, although earthquakes and floods cannot be avoided, damage can be minimized through everyday awareness and training.
By the way, the building in the first photo is actually the ‘third generation’ of the Museum.
In September, after the earthquake, the Yokohama Municipal Education Section began to think about plans for a memorial museum.
Two barracks (519m2) were built in a corner of the Yokohama Elementary School playground on Kitanaka Street at the time, and opened on 1 September 1924. This was the first memorial museum.
But the land was acquired as a site for a raw silk inspection center. The museum was forced to relocate and built a 714m2 barrack on the site of a former gas office in Hanasaki-cho, which was relocated and opened on 20 February 1925. (2nd generation)
However, it was forced to relocate again. This time, the Honmachi Elementary School was to be relocated to the site. On 26 May 1927, the museum was closed and the materials were stored in a warehouse on the playground for a while.
Nevertheless, the construction of a new building had been planned even before that, and in 1924 the city council budgeted for a memorial museum, which was to be built as an annex to the library in 1925. This was the third generation memorial museum.
The memorial museum, which held its opening ceremony on 1 August 1928, was a two-story reinforced concrete building with an architectural area of 1540m2. By the following year, a one-story annex (122m2) had also been built and also the Emperor visited the museum.
The exhibition included the following.
(1) Section of local materials
History of Yokohama from the time of Perry’s arrival.
(2) Earthquake section (damage)
What damage was caused by the 1923 earthquake. Exhibits include dioramas, actual damaged objects and photographs. Large items such as temple bells and railway rails were also displayed.
(3) Earthquake section (relief)
Relief efforts, activities of the Red Cross, youth groups and the army, as well as assistance from foreign countries. And the lives of the inhabitants.
(4) Earthquake reference section
Enlightenment of knowledge about earthquakes.
(5) Reconstruction section
Exhibition on how Yokohama City has been reconstructed, including models.
According to data as of 1932, the entrance fee was 5 sen for adults and 2 sen for children.
The museum was temporarily closed in 1942 due to the Metal Recovery Order (promulgated in 1941), which required metal objects to be offered to the nation. In August of the same year, the museum was reorganised as the Yokohama Civic Museum and reopened in order to ‘enhance the love for the city and help improve culture.’
The Hakodate Central Library Digital Archives website has a postcard showing a “Full view of the Civic Museum (opened 1 September 1942)", and it seems that the building was already covered in ivy at this time.
The museum reopened, but had to be suspended in 1944 due to the intensification of air raids. The following year, the city council, which had been burnt out in the air raids, moved here and the museum spontaneously ceased to exist.
After the war, the building was used by the Economic Research Institute of Yokohama City University, the Nogeyama Zoo Office and the Yokohama Municipal History Compilation Office, and from 1964 it became a wedding hall, the ‘Oimatsu-kaikan’. The building was covered with ivy even during the wedding hall period. It remained in use until 1991, when the wedding hall was relocated and the building was demolished around 1994.
Finally, we can see the building in an aerial photograph taken in the past.
What are the objects lining the roof, which can also be seen in the 1949 aerial photograph, so they do not appear to be later additions. Could they be skylights?
[Reference]
“Great Kanto Earthquake Photo Album" (ed. Japan United News Agency / Japan United News Agency Publishing Department / 1923).
“Historical Sites and Scenic Spots in Yokohama (Yokohama series; Volume 1)" (1928)
“Museum Studies" Vol. 4, No. 10, (Japan Association of Museums / 1931)
“Guide to Museums throughout Japan" (Japan Museum Association/ Toko Shoin / 1932)
“ZANSHO: Modern Architecture in Kanagawa" (Afterglow: Modern Architecture of Kanagawa) (Asahi Shimbun Yokohama Branch, ed.
/ Yurindo / 1982)
“The Earthquake Memorial Museum“, “Panoramic view of the Civic Museum" from Hakodate City Central Library Digital Archives