The Great Kanto Earthquake collection (http://dl.lib.brown.edu/kanto) contains a mix of photographs, newspaper clippings, and travel ephemera (menus, passenger lists…) that document the encounters of a American family who were amongst the first westerners to witness the devastation of the 1923 Kanto Earthquake and resulting tsunami.
The collection is based around the family photo album of William and Vera Reynolds who were enroute to Japan when the earthquake struck. This photo album was recently donated to the Library by Lee Stewart, William and Dana’s granddaughter — a gift secured with the assistance of Professor Kerry Smith (history), whose upcoming book focuses on this very event.
Students in Professor Smith’s “History of Modern Japan” class were brought into the project to assist in the cataloging process, and to write additional narrative materials to support use of the collection. Much of what you encounter on this site is representative of their commitment and hard work. Ms Stewart contributed an introductory essay and Professor Smith provided a historical overview. Toshi Minami provided a detailed bibliography of secondary materials available in our library.
For further information contact Patrick_Yott@brown.edu