KESENNUMA, Miyagi Prefecture--It's not the Rias Ark Museum of Art's usual pieces, but the barrels that have swollen due to heat, stuffed animals and dolls covered with mud and downed traffic lights will make a powerful impact on museum-goers.
KESENNUMA, Miyagi Prefecture--It's not the Rias Ark Museum of Art's usual pieces, but the barrels that have swollen due to heat, stuffed animals and dolls covered with mud and downed traffic lights will make a powerful impact on museum-goers.
“What did we lose (in the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami)? Our daily lives that were destroyed will be seen through the exhibits,” said Hiroyasu Yamauchi, 40, a museum curator.
The Kesennuma museum plans to exhibit on a permanent basis a variety of items that were washed away by the tsunami spawned by last year's March 11 massive quake.
Over a year, members of the museum, including Yamauchi, have collected about 160 objects that were swept up in Kesennuma and Minami-Sanriku, both in Miyagi Prefecture, and left after the surging waters receded.
As for daily items and household electrical appliances, only those things that were left unclaimed for more than six months and whose owners remain unknown were collected.
Yamauchi also collected bent construction material from his house that was also destroyed.
The museum will choose about 30 items from the 160 and will display them along with background explanations.
As soon as repairs finish in the museum, which was also damaged in the disaster, its staff will start selecting the items, which will be displayed as a permanent collection from the spring of next year.