A Coach on a Roof: The Devastating Power of a Tsunami

Abstract

 Ogatsu Town has been a part of Ishinomaki City since 2005. It is famous as a fi shing port and a producer of high-quality Suzuri (inkstone used for calligraphy). Ogatsu Suzuri is made from Permian slate. Ogatsu town was destroyed by a tsunami on 11 March, 2011. The coach was carried 200 m from its original parking place and tossed onto the roof of the Ogatsu community center (Ogatsu Kominkan). The coach and damaged building are remnants of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and help us understand the devastating power of a tsunami. The area is now a vacant lot awaiting reconstruction (December 2014).
(Photograph & Explanation: Noriyoshi TSUCHIYA; Photographed on April 16, 2011)