How did the 1657 fire affect Edo?

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Tokyo-Yokohama Metropolitan Area Portion of the Tokyo skyline at dusk; Tokyo Tower is at the right.

The 1657 fire, often referred to as the most significant fire in the history of Edo, had a devastating impact on the city. During this event, approximately two-thirds of Edo was destroyed, including a large portion of the Tokugawa shogunate castle. The catastrophe also resulted in a staggering loss of life, with upwards of 100,000 people perishing.1

Despite this disaster, the city continued to grow throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, eventually becoming one of the largest cities in the world during the Tokugawa period.1