2023 Volume 83 Issue 1 Pages 43-50
More than 10 years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake. In hindsight, it became clear in the days that followed that the nation’s increased awareness of “Kizuna” （Bonds）, which was visible during the earthquake, no longer exists. Historically, this change in mindset us not new. For instance, the Great Genryaku Earthquake is portrayed in Kamono Chomei’s well-known book Hojoki, which was written during the Kamakura period. The change in thinking following the calamity may be summed up in one word: forgetting. In addition, the Great Kanto Earthquake, where Kanzo Uchimura described how the earthquake, which destroyed the imperial capital, was a form of punishment and a means of regaining conscience. However, Japan subsequently expanded its colonies and proceeded to the unprecedented Second World War. Following the earthquake in East Japan, several ideas were expressed in different ways. In addition to being an infectious occurrence, the spread of Kizuna was a historical reenactment of an earlier incident. The limitations of such repetition were proven in this study, as well as the significance of scientific acknowledgment as a factor that transcends such repetition.
