Great Fire of Angen
| Native name | 安元の大火 |
|---|---|
| Date | 1177 |
| Time | Beginning of the hour of the wild boar (10:00pm) (Traditional Japanese time) |
| Location | Heian palace, Heian-kyō |
| Coordinates | Near 35°0′49″N 135°44′32″E / 35.01361°N 135.74222°E |
| Outcome | Destruction of a third of the capital, including the Great Imperial Audience Hall, courtier mansions, and the front gate of the palace. |
The Great Fire of Angen was a fire that swept through Heian-kyō (now Kyoto) in 1177, destroying around a third of the then capital city. It was recorded by Fujiwara no Kanezane.
Outbreak
The fire broke out at the beginning of the hour of the wild boar (which is about 10:00pm).[1][2][3] At the beginning of the hour of the dog (about 8:00pm)[1][3][4], Fujiwara no Kanezane finished a ritual of mourning, recording that a "princess also ended her mourning in this evening." (The text does not specify which princess).[1]
He noted the clear weather and wrote "Around 8 p.m. I performed the ritual to end the mourning on the riverbed. The princess also ended her mourning in this evening. Chamberlain to the princess [Kanezane's son Yoshimichi] ended the mourning in front of her residence." He continued to write, finally noting the fire by saying, "Around 10 p.m., a fire broke out in the northern direction. I heard that the fire started at Higuchi-Tominokoji." At the time, Kanezane was ill and remained at home. Due to this, he had to have a servant assess the situation.[1]
As the fire worsened, the Emperor and Empress were moved to Fujiwara no Kunitsuna's home.[1]
As the fire swept through Heian-kyō, it reached the palace were it burnt the enthronement hall.[5] The great hall was never rebuilt and every Muromachi period emperor was not enthroned in Heian-kyō.[6][7][8]
Damage
The damaged buildings were:[1][9][10][11]
The Imperial Court
- Daigokuden
- Department of Divinities
- Shingon-in Temple
- Chodoin
- Ministry of Popular Affairs
- Ministry of Water Affairs
- Kikyo-mon Gate
- Accounting Dormitory
- Office of food preparation for the imperial family
- Yingtian Gate (There is both one in China, and one in Heian-kyō, modern day Kyoto)
- Tax-collection office
- Suzakumon
- Shikibu-shō
Other facilities
- Daigaku-ryō
- Kan'gakuin
Residence's of the nobility and princes
- Residence of Matsudono Motofusa
- Residence of Taira no Shigemori
- Residence of Tokudaiji Sanesada
- Residence of Shigenoi Sanekuni
- Residence of Fujiwara no Takaki
- Residence of Fujiwara no Kunitsuna
- Residence of Sanjo Sanefusa
- Residence of Minamoto no Sadafusa
- Residence of Fujiwara no Sukenaga
- Residence of Nakayama Tadachika
- Residence of Fujiwara no Sanetsuna
- Residence of Fujiwara no Yoritada
- Residence of Fujiwara no Toshitsune
- Residence of Fujiwara no Toshimori
Fujiwara no Kanezane noted all of these, while noting the constellations, believing that they were a bad omen.[1][9][10]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Kamo, Chōmei (1996). Hojoki: Visions of a Torn World. Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 978-1-880656-22-8.
- ^ "Japan: 'The Hour of the Boar' - I no koku - (c. 10pm-Midnight). Utamaro Kitagawa (1753-1806), c. 1794-1795". www.akg-images.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
- ^ a b "What is a Traditional Japanese Clock (Wadokei)? | THE SEIKO MUSEUM GINZA". THE SEIKO MUSEUM. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
- ^ "Japan: 'The Hour of the Dog' - Inu no koku - (c. 8pm-10pm). Utamaro Kitagawa (1753-1806), c. 1794-1795". www.akg-images.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
- ^ Bausi, Alessandro; Brockmann, Christian; Friedrich, Michael; Kienitz, Sabine (2018-02-19). Manuscripts and Archives: Comparative Views on Record-Keeping. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN 978-3-11-054157-1.
- ^ Hall, John Whitney; Takeshi, Toyoda (2022-07-15). Japan in the Muromachi Age. Univ of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-32552-4.
- ^ "The 18th GJS SeminarNarrating Disaster and Memoryscapes in The Tale of the Heike: Mediating the Great Fire of Angen (1177) | Events | GJS: Global Japan Studies". gjs.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
- ^ 日本放送協会. "即位の儀式の歴史｜平成から令和へ 新時代の幕開け｜NHK NEWS WEB". www3.nhk.or.jp. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
- ^ a b "都市史10 「方丈記」にみる三つの災害". www2.city.kyoto.lg.jp. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
- ^ a b "The Great Fire of Angen - Kyoto through the Ages". kyotohumanities.jp. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
- ^ "二 The Great Fire of the Angen Period". Hōjōki Annotation and Translation Project. 2018-09-03. Retrieved 2025-01-31.