A railway fire that may have beenthe first to occur in Japan【January 27 – Today in History】#224

A train did not
catch fire itself,
but this incident is regarded as
the first fire in Japan
caused by a railway.

※The fire described in this article
is based on local historical materials,
and is not officially certified
as “Japan’s first railway‑related fire”
in national records.
Otapedia records it
as one of the memories
handed down in the region.

Date of the incident 

Around 3 p.m.
on January 27, 1873.
Fires broke out in three villages:
Kita‑Kamata Village
(present‑day Kamata 1‑chōme),
Machiya Village
(across from today’s Tire Park),
and Hachiman‑zuka Village
(near today’s Kotake crossing). 

Except for Kita‑Kamata Village
(address unknown),
all were located
along the railway line.

Timetable of the period

Downbound train from Shinagawa
3:00 p.m.

Upbound trains from Yokohama
2:00 p.m.
3:00 p.m.

The travel time
between Shinagawa and Yokohama
was said to be
35 minutes.

Possible train involved

It is extremely difficult
to identify which train
caused the accident
based solely on the timetable.

However,
considering that the fire occurred
around 3 p.m.,
and that the estimated passing time
would have been
around 3:10 p.m.,
the train most likely
to have caused the fire
was the downbound train from Shinagawa,
which ran closer
to the residential side
of the line.

Condition of the railway surroundings at the time
The affected area along the line
was a rural landscape
where fields and paddies spread out,
with houses scattered sparsely.

Kita‑Kamata Village had
160 households.
Machiya Village had
41 households.
Hachiman‑zuka Village had
236 households.
Only that.

Damage in Kita‑Kamata Village

(Current address unknown)
Two farmhouses burned:
the home of
Magosaemon Yoshioka
and the home of
Kakuzō Miyazaki.

Damage in Machiya Village
(Present‑day Nakarokugō 1‑36‑10)
The home of
Man‑emon Ishiwata
burned down,
a total of
approx. 57.9 m².

Damage in Hachiman‑zuka Village
Hachiman‑zuka Village,
North District
(present‑day Nakarokugō 3‑21‑1)
The home of
Heihei‑emon Hirano
burned down,
a total of
approx. 203.4 m².

Events of the day

It was the dry season of winter,
and strong west winds were blowing.
Only the eastern side
of what is now the Tōkaidō Line
was affected.

Situation at the moment of the fire

Most houses
had thatched roofs,
and there was hardly any time
to carry belongings out.
The flames
spread in an instant.

There appear to have been
no injuries.

Cause of the fire

It was believed
that sparks
from the locomotive’s chimney
were the cause.

No one could stop it.

Initiatives by the Tokyo Prefecture,
led by Governor Ichio Ōkubo

Concerned about
the situation of the victims,
the Tokyo Prefecture
urged the Railway Bureau
to take swift action
and provide consideration.

A formal request
was submitted
to the Railway Bureau.

Opinion of the foreign engineers 

The authorities
consulted the
foreign engineers
employed by the government.

They explained that
in foreign countries
it was the rule
to use coal or coke,
not firewood.

If the fire
had been caused
by violating this rule,
compensation
would have been required.

However,
if coal or coke
had been used properly
and a fire still occurred,
it was
“like being struck by lightning,”
and therefore
an unavoidable accident.

View of the Railway Bureau,
led by Masaru Inoue,
Director of Railways

Taking into account 
the opinion of the foreign engineers,
the Railway Bureau 
carefully considered 
the impact 
that future precedents 
might have 
on the administration 
of the system.

They decided that, 
for this case only, 
support would be provided 
under a name 
different from “compensation,”
so as not to establish 
a binding precedent.

This was a realistic
and flexible judgment 
by the Railway Bureau, 
balancing consideration 
for the victims 
with the need 
for institutional consistency.

It was, 
in a sense, 
a compromise 
reached within 
the limits of the system. 

View of the Tokyo Prefecture

Tokyo Prefecture argued 
that providing support 
under another name 
was inappropriate. 

They presented 
their own calculation 
of the compensation amount.

They also proposed 
that regulations 
should be established 
regarding the distance 
between the railway line 
and nearby houses.

Final decision of the Railway Bureau
Taking into account 
that public sentiment 
toward the railway 
had finally begun 
to improve 
since its opening, 
and carefully considering 
the impact 
on future administration 
of the system, 
the Railway Bureau 
ultimately reached a resolution 
in line with 
the proposal 
of the Tokyo Prefecture.

The compensation amount
was calculated 
at 8 yen 50 sen 
per tsubo 
(approx. 28.1 m² per 100 yen,
 converted for clarity).

A “sincere step”
within the flow of history
At that time, 
the Civil Code 
had not yet been promulgated. 
The concept of 
strict liability did not exist. 
There was no National Diet, 
and no 
State Redress Act.

In such an era, 
the process of negotiation— 
listening to the voices 
of the victims, 
and seeking a compromise 
beyond the limits 
of existing systems— 
can be seen as 
another form of 
“sincere progress” 
at the dawn 
of modern Japan.

Friction and coexistence

Although it seemed 
that a compromise
had been reached, 
stone‑throwing 
and obstruction incidents 
occurred afterward, 
especially 
in the years 
1877–1878.

These acts 
increased in frequency.

Proclamation of the
“New Penal Regulations”

In response, 
the Tokyo Prefecture 
issued the 
New Penal Regulations, 
addressing 
acts of obstruction 
against trains. 

It encouraged 
the reporting 
of offenders 
and imposed 
strict penalties.

Lastly

In the midst 
of their peaceful daily lives, 
people suddenly faced 
the arrival of the railway, 
which took their land 
and altered their surroundings.

Their feelings 
could not have been calm.

Then, 
so soon after the opening 
of the railway, 
a fire caused by a train 
occurred.

The distrust 
toward the railway 
among nearby residents 
must have deepened 
even further.

At that time, 
Japan’s railway network 
was still limited 
to the line 
between Tokyo and Kobe.

Considering this, 
and the fact that 
the Tokyo Prefecture 
issued regulations 
against stone‑throwing 
and obstruction, 
it is natural to think 
that this fire 
had an influence 
on the situation.

The locomotives 
of the period, 
as well as 
safety standards, 
were still 
in the early stages 
of development.

As the foreign engineers said, 
the expression 
“like being struck by lightning” 
symbolized both 
the technological limitations 
and the lack 
of established systems 
at the time.

Even so

this incident 
sparked a new awareness 
between the railway 
and the surrounding communities.

The safe railway operations 
we have today 
are supported 
by the accumulation 
of experiences like this— 
layer upon layer 
of trial, 
error, and learning.

Otapedia designates 
the Tokyo Prefecture, 
led by Ichio Ōkubo, 
which persistently pressed 
the Railway Bureau for compensation 
at a time when legal frameworks 
were not yet in place, 
as one of the 
“Unnamed Organizations and Groups of Ota City,” 
and also registers
January 27 
as the 
“Ota City Day of Memory 
for Japan’s First Railway‑Related Fire.” 

This is an act 
of recalling 
the memories of Ota City— 
a quiet gesture 
of remembrance. 

The work of Otapedia 
Our activity 
is an effort 
to turn our gaze once more 
toward those 
“names on the verge 
of being forgotten,” 
and to call them back 
to the shores 
of memory.

Even if their actions 
and traces have disappeared, 
the marks they left 
upon this region 
can still be carried 
into the future.

These designations 
are Otapedia’s own, 
and are not official recognitions 
by Ota City.

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