Great Fire of Angen


The Great Fire of Angen was a fire that swept through Heian-kyō 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. At the beginning of the hour of the dog, Fujiwara no Kanezane finished a ritual of mourning, recording that a "princess also ended her mourning in this evening.".
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 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.
As the fire worsened, the Emperor and Empress were moved to Fujiwara no Kunitsuna's home.
As the fire swept through Heian-kyō, it reached the palace were it burnt the enthronement hall. The great hall was never rebuilt and every Muromachi period emperor was not enthroned in Heian-kyō.

Damage

The damaged buildings were:

The Imperial Court

  • Department of Divinities
  • Shingon-in Temple
  • Ministry of Popular Affairs
  • Kikyo-mon Gate
  • Yingtian Gate
  • Suzakumon
  • Shikibu-shō

    Other facilities

  • Daigaku-ryō

    Residence's of the nobility and princes

  • Residence of Matsudono Motofusa
  • Residence of Taira no Shigemori
  • Residence of Tokudaiji Sanesada
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  • Residence of
  • Residence of Nakayama Tadachika
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Fujiwara no Kanezane noted all of these, while noting the constellations, believing that they were a bad omen.