Japanese Urban Legends

Shirokiya Department Store Deaths

This legend revolves around a historical event that happened in Japan, which was a tragic fire in 1932. It happened in one of Tokyo's largest department stores, Shirokiya. 

The fire started in the toy section, shortly before the store was to be opened. According to witness reports, there was a spark from a light bulb that decorated a Christmas tree, and the spark landed on highly flammable toys, igniting them. The open staircases in the building acted like a chimney for the smoke, and provided an abundance of oxygen for the fire to rage on. Because of this, the fire was able to spread to different floors, and the main entrance was blocked off by flames and heavy smoke. There were eight floors in total, and it is said that the fire started on the fourth floor.

As firefighters rushed to the scene, it was discovered that the ladders and hoses were too short to reach the fifth floor, and so there was little that could be done to stop it. People trapped inside were desperate to escape, and had to take drastic measures. Some saleswomen went up to the roof and jumped into safety nets held by firemen. Others attempted to escape the building by fashioning ropes out of clothing or curtains and trying to climb down them. About 80 people in total climbed their way out of the building using these makeshift ropes, and survived. Unfortunately, some of the people that tried to climb out couldn't hang on, and ended up falling down dangerous heights. Overall, 14 people died and 67 were left injured.

There is a popular legend about some of those who died, and it is believed to have affected the economy and fashion customs among Japanese women.

It was rumored that some saleswomen that were dressed in kimonos went to the roof, trying to find a way out. But, when the firemen showed them the safety nets, they realized they could possibly expose their lady parts while jumping since they were wearing a kimono.

Kimonos have several layers of a silky robe, and the bottom layer was considered as underwear at the time. However, it open at the bottom since it was a robe. This means that it could still possibly reveal something, and expose a woman's parts.

These women were deathly afraid of accidentally showing the gathering crowd their lady parts. As a result, they refused to jump off and escape, standing on the roof as the flames rose. The firemen begged them to leap, yet they didn't move an inch towards the edge of the building, and they eventually burned alive. It was the ultimate choice of death over tarnishing modesty, causing these women to suffer horrific fate.

This legend attracted a lot of news and went all the way to Europe- something that was not common at this time period. It was alleged that the department store ordered saleswomen to wear underwear as a result, and the trend spread from that rumor.

But is it real?

Shoichi Inoue, a professor of Japanese customs and architecture, has rejected the story of these ladies and their fatal modesty. He believes that all of the saleswomen on the roof jumped onto the safety nets during the fire, and most people were saved by firemen. For the legend, he states that it most likely was fabricated for the benefit of Westerners. It is generally thought that this fake news has led to the prices in Western-styled women's underwear rising after the fire, although there is not a lot of evidence to back this up.

Also, some think that there was no reason for these women to choose death over modesty. Since the kimonos were tight and long, it is guessed that one could use the length to cover themselves if they were to fall from a high area. Along with this, at the time they had mixed gender hot springs and bath houses- proof that Japanese culture was tolerant of public nudity. Then again, some people are simply extremely conscious of showing too much skin, and so the women may have just been that way, even with the fact that Japanese culture was accepting of it.

Looking at all of this evidence... what do you think? Were there really women that were so petrified with fear and a sense of modesty that they refused to jump, or that this was a story fabricated to benefit from the tragedy?