1.
firefighter (historical)
A firefighter in the Edo period. These were organized groups of townspeople or samurai tasked with fighting fires in the cities.
江戸の火消しは勇敢だった。
The Edo-era firefighters were brave.
町火消しは江戸の庶民に人気があった。
The town firefighters were popular among the common people of Edo.
木造建築が密集していた江戸では、火消しの役割が非常に重要だった。
In Edo, where wooden buildings were densely packed, the role of firefighters was extremely important.
2.
damage control, putting out fires (figurative)
The act of containing or suppressing a problem, scandal, or crisis before it spreads. Used figuratively in modern contexts, especially in business and politics.
不祥事の火消しに追われる。
To be busy with damage control over a scandal.
広報部が火消しに回った。
The public relations department went into damage control mode.
SNSでの炎上を受けて、会社は急いで火消しに乗り出した。
In response to the online backlash, the company quickly launched into damage control.
HISTORY:
In the Edo period, organized firefighting groups called 火消し protected the city from frequent fires. They were divided into 町火消し (townspeople firefighters) and 大名火消し (domain lord firefighters). Edo-era 火消し are iconic figures in Japanese popular culture, often depicted with distinctive outfits and matoi (fire brigade standards).
MODERN USAGE:
In modern Japanese, the figurative sense (damage control) is very common, especially in business and political contexts. The expression 火消しに回る (to go around putting out fires / doing damage control) is particularly frequent.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 火消しに回る: to engage in damage control
- 火消しに追われる: to be busy putting out fires
- 火消し役: the person doing damage control