Rikuzentakata, Iwate
Encyclopedia
is a city
in Iwate
, Japan
.
In the quinquennial census of 2010, the city had a population
of 23,302 (2005: 24,709). With a total area of 232.29 km² the density
is 100 persons per km². The city was founded on January 1, 1955. The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
caused extensive damage to the city.
. According to the police, every building smaller than three stories high has been completely flooded, with buildings bigger than three stories high being flooded partially, one of the buildings being the city hall, where the water also reached as high as the third floor. The Japan Self-Defense Forces
reports between 300 and 400 bodies have been found in the town.
On 14 March, an illustrated BBC report showed a picture of the town, describing it as "almost completely flattened." "It is not clear how many survived." The town's tsunami shelters were designed for a wave of three to four metres in height, but the tsunami of March 2011 created a wave 13 metres high which inundated the designated safe locations. Local officials estimate that 20% to 40% of the town's population is dead. "Rikuzen-Takata effectively no longer exists." Although the town was well prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis and had a 6.5 metre high seawall, it was not enough and more than 80% of 8,000 houses were swept away.
A BBC film dated 20 March reported that the harbour gates of the town failed to shut as the tsunami approached, and that 45 young firemen were swept away while attempting to close them manually. The same film reported that 500 bodies had been recovered in the town, but that 10,000 people were still unaccounted-for out of a population of 26,000. As of 3 April 2011, 1,000 people from the town were confirmed dead with 1,300 still missing. In late May 2011, an Australia
n reporter interviewed a surviving volunteer firefighter who has said 49 firefighters were killed in Rikuzentakata by the tsunami, among 284 firefighters known to have died along the affected coast, many while closing the doors in the tsunami barrier
s along the seashore.
Sixty-eight city officials, about one-third of the city's municipal employees, were killed. The town's mayor, Futoshi Toba, was at his post at the city hall and survived, but his wife was killed at their seaside home. The wave severely damaged the artifact and botanical collection at the city's museum and killed the staff of six people.
and in 1940 it was designated a Place of Scenic Beauty
. After the 2011 tsunami a single, ten-metre, two hundred year-old tree remained from the forest. Due to coastal erosion this is only five metres from the sea and is at threat from increased salinity. The Association for the Protection of Takata-Matsubara along with the municipal and prefectural governments are taking measures, including the erection of barriers, to protect the surviving pine.
As of September 2011, there were signs that these measures may be failing, despite all good efforts. Salt water is poisoning the roots. The tree is no longer producing resin, and the needles have turned brown. Buds that had appeared earlier have withered, and the pine cones are discolored.
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
in Iwate
Iwate Prefecture
is the second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island and contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
In the quinquennial census of 2010, the city had a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 23,302 (2005: 24,709). With a total area of 232.29 km² the density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
is 100 persons per km². The city was founded on January 1, 1955. The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
caused extensive damage to the city.
Politics and government
Rikuzentakata is governed by mayor Toba Futoshi. The city assembly has 20 elected members.Transportation
There is one railroad line with six stations in Rikuzentakata.- JR EastEast Japan Railway Companyis the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
- Ōfunato LineOfunato LineThe is a local rail line in Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company system, it runs as a spur line from Ichinoseki Station in Ichinoseki, Iwate, in central Japan to Sakari Station in Ōfunato, Iwate, on the coast...
: Rikuzen-Yahagi StationRikuzen-Yahagi StationRikuzen-Yahagi Station is a train station located on the JR Ōfunato Line in Rikuzen-Takata, Iwate, Japan. It is a 'ghost station', with no staff assigned to it.-History:...
, Takekoma StationTakekoma StationTakekoma Station is a train station located on the JR Ōfunato Line in Rikuzen-Takata, Iwate, Japan. It is a 'ghost station', with no staff assigned to it.-History:*December 15, 1933: Station begins operation....
, Rikuzen-Takata StationRikuzen-Takata StationRikuzen-Takata Station is a train station located on the JR Ōfunato Line in Rikuzen-Takata, Iwate, Japan.-Surrounding area:*Rikuzen-Takata Station area line bus**Iwateken Kotsu Bus***For.Setamai and Iwate-Yokamati*Route 340*Route 45...
, Wakinosawa StationWakinosawa StationWakinosawa Station is a train station located on the JR Ōfunato Line in Rikuzen-Takata, Iwate, Japan. It is a 'ghost station', with no staff assigned to it.-History:*December 15, 1933: Station begins operation....
, Otomo StationOtomo StationOtomo Station is a train station located on the JR Ōfunato Line in Rikuzen-Takata, Iwate, Japan.-History:*December 15, 1933: Station begins operation....
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami effects
Rikuzentakata was reported to have been "wiped off the map" by the tsunami following the Tōhoku earthquake2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
. According to the police, every building smaller than three stories high has been completely flooded, with buildings bigger than three stories high being flooded partially, one of the buildings being the city hall, where the water also reached as high as the third floor. The Japan Self-Defense Forces
Japan Self-Defense Forces
The , or JSDF, occasionally referred to as JSF or SDF, are the unified military forces of Japan that were established after the end of the post–World War II Allied occupation of Japan. For most of the post-war period the JSDF was confined to the islands of Japan and not permitted to be deployed...
reports between 300 and 400 bodies have been found in the town.
On 14 March, an illustrated BBC report showed a picture of the town, describing it as "almost completely flattened." "It is not clear how many survived." The town's tsunami shelters were designed for a wave of three to four metres in height, but the tsunami of March 2011 created a wave 13 metres high which inundated the designated safe locations. Local officials estimate that 20% to 40% of the town's population is dead. "Rikuzen-Takata effectively no longer exists." Although the town was well prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis and had a 6.5 metre high seawall, it was not enough and more than 80% of 8,000 houses were swept away.
A BBC film dated 20 March reported that the harbour gates of the town failed to shut as the tsunami approached, and that 45 young firemen were swept away while attempting to close them manually. The same film reported that 500 bodies had been recovered in the town, but that 10,000 people were still unaccounted-for out of a population of 26,000. As of 3 April 2011, 1,000 people from the town were confirmed dead with 1,300 still missing. In late May 2011, an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n reporter interviewed a surviving volunteer firefighter who has said 49 firefighters were killed in Rikuzentakata by the tsunami, among 284 firefighters known to have died along the affected coast, many while closing the doors in the tsunami barrier
Tsunami barrier
-Natural barriers:Natural factors such as shoreline tree cover can mitigate tsunami effects. Some locations in the path of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami escaped almost unscathed because trees such as coconut palms and mangroves absorbed the tsunami's energy...
s along the seashore.
Sixty-eight city officials, about one-third of the city's municipal employees, were killed. The town's mayor, Futoshi Toba, was at his post at the city hall and survived, but his wife was killed at their seaside home. The wave severely damaged the artifact and botanical collection at the city's museum and killed the staff of six people.
Takata-matsubara
is a two-kilometre stretch of shoreline that was lined with approximately seventy thousand pines. In 1927 it was selected as one of the 100 Landscapes of Japan (Shōwa era)100 Landscapes of Japan (Shōwa era)
The is a list of famous scenic sites in Japan. The 100 Landscapes or Views were selected alongside further sets of 8 Views and 25 Winning Sites in 1927, a year after Hirohito became Emperor. The selection was intended to 'reflect the new taste of the new era'...
and in 1940 it was designated a Place of Scenic Beauty
Monuments of Japan
is a collective term used by the Japanese government's Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties to denote Cultural Properties of JapanIn this article, capitals indicate an official designation as opposed to a simple definition, e.g "Cultural Properties" as opposed to "cultural properties"...
. After the 2011 tsunami a single, ten-metre, two hundred year-old tree remained from the forest. Due to coastal erosion this is only five metres from the sea and is at threat from increased salinity. The Association for the Protection of Takata-Matsubara along with the municipal and prefectural governments are taking measures, including the erection of barriers, to protect the surviving pine.
As of September 2011, there were signs that these measures may be failing, despite all good efforts. Salt water is poisoning the roots. The tree is no longer producing resin, and the needles have turned brown. Buds that had appeared earlier have withered, and the pine cones are discolored.
External links
Rikuzentakata official website- Gala day procession with floats, August 2010 Five videos available in this series
- The tsumani sweeping over Rikuzentakata
- AlJazeera report on Rikuzentakata after the waters receded
- Rikuzentata as the rescue begins Mark Willacy reports for ABC News
- Tsunami Damage, Rikuzentakata (March 2011) Before-and-after thermal satellite images from NASA
- The floodgate that didn't work to stop the tsunami BBC report on the failure of the Rikuzentakata floodgates