1.
smashing; destruction; demolition
the act of breaking or destroying something by striking it
古い建物の打ち壊しが始まった。
The demolition of the old building has begun.
せっかくの雰囲気を打ち壊しにする。
To ruin the carefully created atmosphere.
計画を打ち壊しにされて、彼は怒っていた。
He was angry because his plans had been ruined.
2.
riot; destructive protest (historical)
a type of popular uprising in the Edo period where crowds destroyed the homes and shops of wealthy merchants or officials
江戸時代には打ち壊しがしばしば起きた。
Destructive riots frequently occurred during the Edo period.
米の値段が高騰し、町人たちが打ち壊しを起こした。
The price of rice soared, and the townspeople staged a destructive riot.
天明の大飢饉のとき、各地で打ち壊しが発生し、幕府は対応に追われた。
During the great Tenmei famine, riots broke out across the country, and the shogunate was overwhelmed with dealing with them.
In its general sense, refers to smashing or ruining something. In Japanese history, 打ち壊し specifically refers to a form of urban protest during the Edo period (1603-1868) where mobs attacked and destroyed the homes and warehouses of rice merchants, moneylenders, and other perceived profiteers.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
打ち壊し differed from rural 一揆 (peasant uprisings) in that they were primarily urban events targeting specific merchants rather than the government directly. They typically erupted during famines or when rice prices spiked. The 天明 famine (1782-1788) and 天保 famine (1833-1837) saw especially widespread 打ち壊し.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 打ち壊しを起こす — to start a riot
- 打ち壊しが起きる — a riot breaks out
- 打ち壊しにする — to ruin, to wreck (figurative)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 一揆 — peasant uprising (rural, often against feudal lords)
- 暴動 — riot (modern term)
- 破壊 — destruction (general, modern)