Rare Great Kantō Earthquake Film

WARNING: FILM CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES【閲覧御注意下さい】

Back in 2016 I acquired a 9.5 mm Pathé-Baby film about the 1923 earthquake that devastated Tokyo and surroundings. After digitalizing I was a bit disappointed by the quality so ended up not doing anything with it—a painful waste of the more than 100,000 yen I spent on acquiring and digitalizing the four minute film…

However, the person that digitalized the film was excited. So just before the end of the disaster’s centenary let me share it with you. I have added a simple narration.

Notice that the title cards and several scenes have been freeze-framed. In 1923, film was expensive so scenes with little or no motion were briefly frozen. This resulted in less film being used saving the makers money.

Notches were added to the film to force projectors to briefly stop the film. You can see these (white) notches on the right just before the freeze.

The white area on the right is a notch in the film used for freezing this scene. The makers were possibly moved by the woman’s pained facial expression.

What makes these notches interesting to us is that they they tell us which parts of the film the filmmakers considered important to show longer. As the film was shown at events where donations were collected for the survivors, the makers likely selected these scenes for drama and impact.

Interestingly, Pathé introduced the lower cost 9.5 mm Pathé-Baby film as a system for amateurs in 1922. As it turned out, just in time for the disaster…

I published two articles about the 1923 quake this year. If you missed them, or would like to read them again, click the links below. They are among this year’s best.

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Old Photos of Japan aims to be your personal museum for daily life in old Japan. I track down and acquire rare vintage images—and the occasional film— and research and conserve them.

If you value or enjoy this work, please help me to continue this service:

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Title Card Text

1. 00:03 関東大震災　大正十二年九月一日

2. 00:08 地震数日前の東京

3. 00:14 この大東京も地震起るや只一つの煙に包まれたる荒野と化して仕舞った

4. 00:31 約二十万人は死傷し約百万人は住むに家なくテントに雨露を凌ぐ身となった

5. 00:45 河は屍や雑多のもので埋もれ流れのままに流れて行く

6. 01:00 地震前の横浜

7. 01:07 横浜も東京と同じく惨害を蒙った

8. 01:14 工場地帯の全滅

9. 01:33 荒野となった中に不思議にも完全な形で残された自動車

10. 01:41 耐震耐火の建物さへ僅かに数ヶ所だけ耐へたり

11. 01:48 火災は数日間続いた

12. 01:53 火は港内にある船に燃え移った

13. 02:00 繪のようであった日本家屋の後形もない

14. 02:08 被難民は一團とかたまって波止場行く

15. 02:12 救護品は着く　澤山(沢山)の被難民は出帆を待つ

16. 02:21 負傷者は第一に船へ運ばれる

17. 02:37 震災後之日本

18. 02:38 恐ろしく荒れはてた都復興の為努力しつつある日本人

19. 03:03 大地割れは修復される

20. 03:12 後形づけを早めるため焼残った建物をダイナマイトで爆発させる

21. 03:24 傳染病を避ける為尚河に流れ行く屍を火葬に附する

22. 03:36 家なき人々はほんの仮小屋を建てて

23. 03:49 赤十字は朝夕傷ついた人々の看護に手をつくす

24. 04:05 被害者への糧食は方々から送られ山と積まれる

25. 04:19 日用品の分配はなされ

26. 04:29 誰れもの顔にも「未来への希望」が新しく輝きあふれている

27. 04:36 終

English

1. 00:03 The Great Kantō Earthquake, September 1, 1923.

2. 00:08 Tokyo a few days before the earthquake.

3. 00:14 After the quake Greater Tokyo has become a smoking wasteland.

4. 00:31 About 200,000 people were killed or injured, and some 1,000,000 were left homeless, living in tents to shelter from the weather.

5. 00:45 Dead bodies and miscellaneous rubble float in the rivers.

6. 01:00 Yokohama before the earthquake.

7. 01:07 Yokohama, like Tokyo, was devastated.

8. 01:14 Factories have been completely destroyed.

9. 01:33 A car’s shape has mysteriously survived in what has become a wasteland.

10. 01:41 Only a few earthquake and fire resistant buildings have survived.

11. 01:48 Fires raged for several days.

12. 01:53 The fires spread to ships in the harbor.

13. 02:00 Nothing is left of traditional Japanese houses that once looked like a painting.

14. 02:08 A group of displaced people going to the port.

15. 02:12 As relief supplies arrive, large numbers of displaced people are waiting for their ship to depart.

16. 02:21 Injured people are brought on board first.

17. 02:37 Japan after the earthquake.

18. 02:38 The Japanese work hard to rebuild their devastated capital.

19. 03:03 Workmen fix cracked roads.

20. 03:12 To speed up reconstruction, remaining structures are blown up.

21. 03:24 The remains of people floating in rivers are cremated to avoid the spread of infectious diseases.

22. 03:36 People who have lost their homes build temporary shelters.

23. 03:49 All day long the Red Cross takes care of injured people.

24. 04:05 Food for the survivors piling up after arriving from all over Japan.

25. 04:19 The distribution of daily necessities.

26. 04:29 Faces reflect a glimmer of hope for the future.

27. 04:36 The End