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[MZZ41-P01] Sources of information of earthquakes in Japan from 1850s to 1860s, appearing in contemporary foreign newspapers
Keywords:Historical earthquake, Foreign newspapers, the 1855 Ansei Edo earthquake
Recently, the foreign transmission of information through newspapers on the 1854 Ansei Nankai Earthquake has been studied [Sugimori et al. (2022)]. In the 1870s, local newspapers in Japanese served as bases for overseas transmission of information, as seen in the Japan Weekly Mail in Yokohama for the 1870 Odawara earthquake, and the Hiogo News in Kobe for the 1872 Hamada earthquake. However, there has been no detailed study on the transmission of information of earthquakes from 1854 to the 1860s.
In this study, we examine articles on Japanese earthquakes from 1854 to the 1860s, mainly in contemporary newspapers mainly in the Pacific coast region, and organize the sources of the information.
(1) the 1854 Ansei Nankai Earthquake
The March 8, 1855 issue (Extra) of the North China Herald in Shanghai, China, introduced information about the earthquake in Japan from an officer of Pohatan. There is also an article from Lobscheid, on March 17.
(2) the 1855 Ansei Edo Earthquake
The February 15, 1856 issue of the Daily Alta California in San Francisco, USA, introduces information on the earthquake from the ship Page, which arrived at San Francisco on February 14 , the previous day. According to the article, the Page arrived at Shimoda on December 2, 1855, sailed for Hakodate on December 10, entered Hakodate on December 28, and departed for San Francisco on January 6 the following year. It is assumed that he obtained information by some means at Shimoda. For example, a foreign merchant in Shimoda at the time felt the earthquake and met the Page afterwards, according to his diary, making him a candidate for a source of information.
In the March 17, 1856 issue of the Daily Alta California, there is a report from Hong Kong dated February 1, 1856, of earthquake information from a ship General Pierce, which had visited Shimoda in December of the previous year. This report is attributed to a Japanese official as the source of the information.
(3) the 1856 Ansei Hachinohe Earthquake (August 23, 1856)
In the January 14, 1857 issue of the Java Bode and the Javasche courant, in the Dutch East Indies, there is information dated November 18 of the previous year that Hakodate was hit by flood and earthquake. Although the date of the phenomena is not specified, the earthquake that damaged Hakodate before November 18, 1856 may be, for example, the 1856 Ansei Hachinohe earthquake on August 23, 1856. If this is the case, the flooding may have been caused by the tsunami that followed the earthquake. Japanese records indicate that Hakodate was hit by this tsunami.
(4) An earthquake at Kanto region of November 24, 1866
This was not a damaging earthquake, but there is some descriptions of the earthquake in the February 4, 1867 issue of the London and China Telegraph, UK. Although the source is not indicated, the similar description is seen in the December 1, 1866 issue of the Japan Times Overland Mail.
In this study, we examine articles on Japanese earthquakes from 1854 to the 1860s, mainly in contemporary newspapers mainly in the Pacific coast region, and organize the sources of the information.
(1) the 1854 Ansei Nankai Earthquake
The March 8, 1855 issue (Extra) of the North China Herald in Shanghai, China, introduced information about the earthquake in Japan from an officer of Pohatan. There is also an article from Lobscheid, on March 17.
(2) the 1855 Ansei Edo Earthquake
The February 15, 1856 issue of the Daily Alta California in San Francisco, USA, introduces information on the earthquake from the ship Page, which arrived at San Francisco on February 14 , the previous day. According to the article, the Page arrived at Shimoda on December 2, 1855, sailed for Hakodate on December 10, entered Hakodate on December 28, and departed for San Francisco on January 6 the following year. It is assumed that he obtained information by some means at Shimoda. For example, a foreign merchant in Shimoda at the time felt the earthquake and met the Page afterwards, according to his diary, making him a candidate for a source of information.
In the March 17, 1856 issue of the Daily Alta California, there is a report from Hong Kong dated February 1, 1856, of earthquake information from a ship General Pierce, which had visited Shimoda in December of the previous year. This report is attributed to a Japanese official as the source of the information.
(3) the 1856 Ansei Hachinohe Earthquake (August 23, 1856)
In the January 14, 1857 issue of the Java Bode and the Javasche courant, in the Dutch East Indies, there is information dated November 18 of the previous year that Hakodate was hit by flood and earthquake. Although the date of the phenomena is not specified, the earthquake that damaged Hakodate before November 18, 1856 may be, for example, the 1856 Ansei Hachinohe earthquake on August 23, 1856. If this is the case, the flooding may have been caused by the tsunami that followed the earthquake. Japanese records indicate that Hakodate was hit by this tsunami.
(4) An earthquake at Kanto region of November 24, 1866
This was not a damaging earthquake, but there is some descriptions of the earthquake in the February 4, 1867 issue of the London and China Telegraph, UK. Although the source is not indicated, the similar description is seen in the December 1, 1866 issue of the Japan Times Overland Mail.