The Actual Tsunami Damage Risk to Shrines in Coastal Areas Due to the Nankai Trough Earthquake and Considerations for Rebuilding

Abstract

The existence of shrines has played an important role in strengthening ties between local communities, but many shrines were damaged during the Great East Japan Earthquake, and even today, only a few have been rebuilt. In this study, we focused on shrines located in coastal areas to understand the actual risk of tsunami damage caused by the Nankai Trough Earthquake, and organized measures for rebuilding shrines by looking at the history and challenges of rebuilding shrines after the Great East Japan Earthquake. As a result of the survey, there are 3,376 shrines located along the coasts of Japan (within 500 m from the coastline), of which 1,126 shrines are at risk of tsunami damage in the 23 prefectures that are expected to be affected by tsunamis due to the Nankai Trough earthquake. I captured what was going on. In addition, efforts to rebuild shrines in Miyagi Prefecture revealed that there were delays in shrine reconstruction due to lack of funds at each shrine and the Shrine Administration, the unregistered status of shrines, and inconsistency in application documents from each local government. The above suggests the importance of “advance preparation” in terms of systems, funds, and applications in case a shrine is affected by a tsunami.