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The Ansei Earthquake was a magnitude 6.9 earthquake which struck the shogunal capital of [[Edo]] at around 10pm,<ref>By modern reckoning. [[Anne Walthall]], "Nishimiya Hide: Turning Palace Arts into Marketable Skills," in Walthall (ed.), ''The Human Tradition in Modern Japan," Scholarly Resources, Inc. (2002), 48.</ref>, on the night of [[1855]]/10/2. It caused extensive death and destruction, and is among the most famous natural disasters of the [[Edo period]]. The Ansei quake marks the emergence of the ''[[namazu]]'', a mythical underground catfish believed to cause earthquakes as it thrashes about, as a popular superstition and visual symbol of earthquakes; though the concept of the ''namazu'' existed earlier, ''[[namazu-e]]'' (pictures of the ''namazu'') in books and prints proliferated especially in the months and years following the Ansei Earthquake. It was the third of a series of major earthquakes following the [[Ansei-Tokai Earthquake|Ansei-Tôkai Earthquake]] and [[Ansei-Nankai Earthquake]] which struck the [[Tokai region|Tôkai]] and [[Nankai region]]s in the 11th month the previous year.

The Ansei Earthquake was a magnitude 6.9 earthquake which struck the shogunal capital of [[Edo]] at around 10pm,<ref>By modern reckoning. [[Anne Walthall]], "Nishimiya Hide: Turning Palace Arts into Marketable Skills," in Walthall (ed.), ''The Human Tradition in Modern Japan," Scholarly Resources, Inc. (2002), 48.</ref>, on the night of [[1855]]/10/2. It caused extensive death and destruction, and is among the most famous natural disasters of the [[Edo period]]. The Ansei quake marks the emergence of the ''[[namazu]]'', a mythical underground catfish believed to cause earthquakes as it thrashes about, as a popular superstition and visual symbol of earthquakes; though the concept of the ''namazu'' existed earlier, ''[[namazu-e]]'' (pictures of the ''namazu'') in books and prints proliferated especially in the months and years following the Ansei Earthquake. It was the third of a series of major earthquakes following the [[Ansei-Tokai Earthquake|Ansei-Tôkai Earthquake]] and [[Ansei-Nankai Earthquake]] which struck the [[Tokai region|Tôkai]] and [[Nankai region]]s in the 11th month the previous year.

The quake was a near-field earthquake, localized and focused shallowly beneath Edo. Roughly 130,000 people were killed, and another 100,000 injured. Roughly 10,000 homes are said to have been lost, along with all the ''[[daimyo yashiki|daimyô yashiki]]'' (samurai lords' mansions) in [[Marunouchi]]; the stone walls of [[Edo castle]] were severely damaged as well. The famous Ueno Daibutsu (Great Buddha Statue) at [[Kan'ei-ji]] in [[Ueno Park|Ueno]] was severely damaged by the earthquake as well, losing its head; today, only the face remains visible to visitors.

The quake was a near-field earthquake, localized and focused shallowly beneath Edo. Roughly 130,000 people were killed, and another 100,000 injured. Tens of thousands homes are said to have either collapsed or burned down in the fires which broke out across the city,<ref>Ishin Shiryô Kôyô 維新史料綱要, vol 2 (1937), 126.</ref> along with all the ''[[daimyo yashiki|daimyô yashiki]]'' (samurai lords' mansions) in [[Marunouchi]]; the stone walls of [[Edo castle]] were severely damaged as well. The famous Ueno Daibutsu (Great Buddha Statue) at [[Kan'ei-ji]] in [[Ueno Park|Ueno]] was severely damaged by the earthquake as well, losing its head; today, only the face remains visible to visitors.

Many observed that the destruction seemed to be centered near the administrative buildings of the shogunate, inspiring many to suggest the earthquake was a sign of the gods' anger at the shogunate's order [[1854|the previous year]] to gather up and melt down Buddhist temple bells from all over the country, in order to use the metal to forge cannon to ward off the Westerners.<ref>James Ketelaar, ''Of Heretics and Martyrs in Meiji Japan'', Princeton University Press (1991), 5.</ref>

Many observed that the destruction seemed to be centered near the administrative buildings of the shogunate, inspiring many to suggest the earthquake was a sign of the gods' anger at the shogunate's order [[1854|the previous year]] to gather up and melt down Buddhist temple bells from all over the country, in order to use the metal to forge cannon to ward off the Westerners.<ref>James Ketelaar, ''Of Heretics and Martyrs in Meiji Japan'', Princeton University Press (1991), 5.</ref>