The scars of the earthquake and tsunami disaster that devastated coastlines of northeastern Japan two years ago are still visible, prompting calls in affected local communities to preserve oral and written memories, as well as records, of the event that claimed nearly 20,000 lives.
The scars of the earthquake and tsunami disaster that devastated coastlines of northeastern Japan two years ago are still visible, prompting calls in affected local communities to preserve oral and written memories, as well as records, of the event that claimed nearly 20,000 lives.
Yet, there is disagreement about the propriety of preserving "earthquake relics" while the wounds of March 11, 2011, are still so raw.
"When the water of the Pacific Ocean rose up, I thought it was the end. I began to chant, 'Namu Amida Butsu,'" said a man in his 70s whose wife perished in the towering waves.
More than 1,000 residents of the city of Higashi-Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, were killed.
On March 10, the day before second anniversary observances of the disaster, video testimony by surviving residents was being edited at the municipal library for a documentary to be released in April.
Library workers began visiting survivors last spring. Other research institutions are making similar efforts, but Yoshitaka Kato, the library's 42-year-old assistant director, said, "As survivors ourselves, there are certain things only we can ask."
A limited budget meant only 88 people were interviewed on film. "We want to preserve the intangible (aspects of the disaster) and help educate people about disaster preparedness," said Kato.
Fukushima Prefecture is also collecting video testimony of 200 or so people, but it has no plans to release the footage in documentary format.
In the rush to preserve a coherent record of 3/11, officials acknowledge that they are locked in a race against time as memories fade and documents become scattered and lost.
Further north, the Iwate Prefectural Library is working to preserve records such as event information distributed by volunteer organizations at evacuee shelters and newspapers made by residents and delivered to temporary housing.
It has already collected more than 5,000 items and is asking the public to provide more, saying that it "cannot find materials from immediately after the earthquake."
The library has begun partnering with the Miyagi and Fukushima prefectural libraries, Tohoku University and other institutions to amass more documents.
On March 8, a library employee visited the Kobe University Library. Yoko Inaba, an adjunct instructor at Tezukayama University, once worked there. She put together the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Disaster Materials Collection, and is now calling for "partnerships with volunteers and others from the private sector."
"Interest faded two years after the Great Hanshin Earthquake (which devastated Kobe and neighboring vicinities in 1995)," Inaba said. "I want the library to release all its materials about the Great East Japan Earthquake."
The National Diet Library launched the Great East Japan Earthquake Archive (http://kn.ndl.go.jp/), a searchable online system, on March 7. Users can search the 2.3 million items, which include video and photos owned or released by the news media and others, by keyword and geographical area.
Arguments have raged back and forth over whether to keep or destroy "earthquake relics" such as town halls and other structures that were damaged.
One such building is the disaster prevention office in the town of Minami-Sanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, where 42 workers and visitors died or were never heard of again.
On March 11, local residents and outsiders came to pray and lay flowers at an altar erected outside the building, where steel beams stand exposed.
A 60-year-old man from Chiba commented on the demolition debate: "I know there are circumstances like how the bereaved feel and expenses for maintenance and management, but if the building weren't here then I might not have come to this town."
The town originally planned to preserve the building, but reversed course in September 2011 and decided to demolish it at the insistence of bereaved relatives.
Miyoko Chiba, 66, lost her son-in-law, who worked for the town. She said, "It pains me to look at the building and recall the earthquake."
The situation changed again last August, when the town government and assembly received three different petitions from bereaved family members and residents: "demolish immediately," "temporarily postpone demolition" and "preserve."
The town assembly seized on the "demolish immediately" petition, but Mayor Jin Sato veered toward caution in addressing the diverse opinions of residents and outsiders.
"We are not changing the demolition plan, but we'd like a little more time," he said.
Last October, the city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, announced that it will demolish the Kadonowaki Elementary School building, which was gutted by fire. However, the city was forced to reconsider the plan due to an outcry from those wanting to preserve it.
As for the town hall of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, where more than 30 employees lost their lives, an outside review committee is examining the arguments on both sides, including the feelings of victims' relatives and maintenance costs. The town will release its findings by the end of the fiscal year on March 31.
The 3/11 earthquake memory preservation study group, created by experts, is pushing for the preservation of 46 sites in Miyagi Prefecture. The chairman, Takuro Kimura, said: "Municipalities struck by the disaster do not have the budgets or the manpower now to preserve (these sites). We also understand the feelings of grieving family members. Rather than rushing to a conclusion, we need a moratorium to delay the demolition."
(This story was compiled from reports by Hideshi Nishimoto and Yoshiyuki Ito.)