Prints Of The Taishô Earthquake

In 1924, the Japanese publisher Hoshino Seki issued a set of thirty-six prints depicting scenes from the aftermath of the September 1, 1923 great Tokyo earthquake. He commissioned six artists to each produce six designs based on eye witness sketches and accounts, which the master carver Nagashima Kiichi and printer Tamura Tetsunosuke then translated into color woodblock prints for the portfolio.

The images found here are part of the Portland Art Museum’s collection of Japanese prints. They are all amazing…please see for yourself.

Kawasaki Shōko
Matsuchiyama Taishô jûni-nen ku-gatsu (Matsuchiyama, September 1923)


Isoda Chôshû
Unsô basha (Horse-drawn Transport Wagon)


Oda Kanchō
Taishô jûni-nen ku-gatsu daishinzai go Kamakura Hasechô shoken (View of th
e Hase district, Kamakura, September 1923)

Kiriya Senrin
Kyûgosho (First Aid Station)