Fire Museum

As the saying goes, "fires and fights are flowers of Edo,” and the old capital of Edo was a city with a fire problem.
Back in the day, samurais and townspeople were all given roles, and a firefighting organization called “Machibikeshi” was formed. In those days, they used a fire extinguishing method that involved destroying the house next to the one on fire in order to prevent the fire from spreading. A “matoimochi,” meaning flag bearer, played an active role on the frontline to stop fires by climbing on the roof with a “matoi” flag and stopping the fire from the roof.
At the Fire Museum, a facility of the Tokyo Fire Department that opened in 1992, you can see how Japanese firefighting methods changed to modern firefighting.
As soon as you enter, you will be greeted by a fire brigade helicopter that was active until the early 1980's. There are also displays of fire trucks sorted by generation that is truly eye catching. Starting out with an imported car from the Taisho era, this vehicle has also been active in the Showa and Heisei era, being in service for 3 generations. It is clear to see that vehicles will evolve along with the diversification of fire sites due to urbanization.
Not only fire extinguishing, but also rescuing due to natural disasters is also required for firefighters, with the latest equipment used on actual fire sites on display. At the same time, the Fire Museum also exhibits images of real life disasters and is raising awareness on disaster prevention everyday.