600-year-old stone tablet - savior in the Japanese tsunami

Modern wave walls did not protect coastal cities against the devastating devastation of the cataclysm in Japan last month. But in the small village Aneyoshi, only a 600-year-old stone tablet had 'saved' that day.

Rough tsunami warning system

'Living on high brings peace and harmony to our children and grandchildren' , a message on the stone tablet. ' Remember the disaster of the tsunami. Do not build houses below this point . '

It was advice that dozens, even hundreds of households in Aneyoshi village followed. And their home is still in peace before the disaster has flattened the communities living below, killing thousands of people along the northeast coast of Japan.

There are hundreds of such plates scattered throughout the northeast coast, some of them from more than 600 years ago. When combined, they form a crude tsunami warning system for Japan, which has a long coastline along the earth's major crevices. Therefore, Japan often suffers from earthquakes and tsunamis for centuries.

However, not all of those stone boards indicate a safe boundary to build a house. Some simply stood there, or used to stand there, until they were swept away by the cataclysm on March 11. They are a daily warning for people about the risk of tsunamis.

A stone tablet warned the tsunami in Aneyoshi village.

'If an earthquake comes, be wary of the tsunami ,' a message board reminded. But in the hustle of modern life, many people have forgotten.

More than 12,000 people have been confirmed dead, while Japanese authorities fear the death toll in the March 11 disaster could rise to 25,000. More than 100,000 people are still living temporarily in schools and other buildings, nearly a month after the tsunami swept. Some lucky people this weekend can move to the first temporary housing area that has just been completed.

Meanwhile, workers at the Fukushima I nuclear power plant were devastated by the tsunami on Wednesday, eventually blocking radioactive water from leaking into the Pacific Ocean. But it takes months to control the reactors that are too hot.

A big natural disaster like the 9.0 richter earthquake, accompanied by a tsunami last month, may only happen once in a lifetime. Power company Tepco, the plant's operator, is clearly unprepared for this situation. Many residential communities were built right on the beach, some may feel secure enough in the seawalls, built after the deadly tsunami, but smaller in 1960.

Choose life instead of wealth

Many people escaped, fled after the earthquake occurred. But in some places, time is only in minutes. Some were lingering, hesitating, so they were killed.

' Everyone has this important knowledge, but they are too busy with life, with work and many people have forgotten, ' said Yotaru Hatamura, a scholar who studied the warning signs.

A stone tablet warning the tsunami danger in the coastal city Kesennuma: ' Always be prepared for unexpected tsunamis. Choose life instead of wealth . '

Tetsuko Takahashi, 70, is safe in her hillside house. She looked through the front door of her house, when others did not pay attention to that advice. She saw a ship washed away half a kilometer into the mainland, crushing buildings on its way.

'After the earthquake, everyone returned home to pick up precious things and stow down' tatami 'mats on the floor. And they are stuck, 'she said.

Her family has lived in Kesennuma from generation to generation, but those who experienced the most terrible tsunami had died many years ago. She could only recount faint memories of the tsunami weaker than in 1960, caused by a powerful earthquake off Chile.

Forget the ancestral warning

According to Fumihiko Imamura, professor of disaster prediction at Tohoku University in Sendai, the city suffered the most severe tsunami last month, the ancestors also left a warning in place. For example, a town called ' Octopus Land ', only marine creatures washed away by tsunamis. Or they also named the temples according to the terrible tsunami.

' It takes about 3 generations for people to forget. Those who have experienced this disaster will tell their children and grandchildren. But memory has faded , 'he said.

But the small village of Aneyoshi, where every house builder on the warning board, was an exception.

' Everyone here knows about the signs. We learned them at school , 'Yuto Kimura, 12, said. ' When the tsunami came, my mother went to school to pick me up and the whole village climbed to the higher ground.'

Aneyoshi, located in Miyako City, was repeatedly struck by a tsunami, including a cataclysm in 1896. 69-year-old Isamu Aneishi said his ancestors had moved the family home to the land. higher than 100 years ago.

But his three grandchildren went to primary school 150 meters from the sea, at Chikei, a bigger town below. The school and surrounding buildings were completely destroyed. The bodies of his grandchildren have not been found.

Farther south, the tsunami swept away the tall stone plate standing right next to a playground in downtown Natori. The inscription on it is written in capital letters: ' If an earthquake happens, be wary of the tsunami'.

But it did not prevent some people from leaving the workplace early after the earthquake. Some went to school to pick up their children, going home to their shores to look.

Many people did not escape. More than 820 bodies were found in Natori, some stuck between tall branches when the water receded. About 1,000 others are still missing.

Hiroshi Kosai grew up in Natori, but moved after finishing high school. His parents, still staying at their home, were killed in the disaster.

' I always told my parents it was dangerous here ,' said the 43-year-old man, pointing at the place where there was once a stone tablet. ' In 5 years, you will see houses begin to grow right here.'