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南三陸町東日本大震災伝承館

About MINAMISANRIKU 311 Memorial

南三陸311メモリアルについて

Message from the Mayor

Mayor, Minamisanriku

Hiraku Chiba

千葉　啓

March 11, 2011.
On that day, we experienced unprecedented damage from a once-in-a-thousand-year scale tsunami.
The town's utterly transformed appearance.
The everyday activities of the locals and the townscape that was passed down for generations that we all worked for- were all gone. It was a scene of silence, engulfed in despair, fear, and sorrow.

After surviving this extreme situation and losing everything in our lives, we have worked relentlessly to rebuild our home. We are entirely committed to the single goal of restoring our hometown to the way it was, to pass it down to the next generation with bright hope for the future. The path to recovery was demanding and full of challenges, and from time to time, we were on the verge of losing hope. However, the support coming from all over Japan and around the world enabled us to pull together and keep going.

MINAMISANRIKU 311 Memorial is a facility that was developed as a place to reflect on disaster prevention by sharing firsthand experiences of local residents. It was created to pass down our recovery efforts for our hometown and express our gratitude for all of the support we received to future generations.

Every time we witness horrific natural disasters in Japan and around the world, we cannot help but feel that it is impossible for humans to overcome the power of nature. Yet, that is precisely why we would like people to think about disaster prevention on a daily basis as their own businesses, to prepare and find ways to save lives when the time comes.
It will be an honor if our experiences told in MINAMISANRIKU 311 Memorial contributed to saving lives around the world. Moreover, we hope that visitors to Minamisanriku will discover the preciousness of life, mentality to never give in no matter how big the hardship is, and joy of living together by supporting each other.
I hope every single person who visits this facility contemplates the reality that natural disasters bring and joins us in our effort to pass it down to future generations.

With condolence for those who were lost, and endless gratitude for those who have supported us.

Mission

  • LEARNING

    The MINAMISANRIKU 311 Memorial is home to a small theater. There, you can watch the firsthand accounts of town residents, think about what you would have done in the same situations, and discuss your thoughts with the people around you. In that principal component of the MINAMISANRIKU 311 Memorial, you will be a part of collective learning about natural disasters from your own perspective. Learn more

  • ARCHIVES

    The MINAMISANRIKU 311 Memorial continues to collect residents’ firsthand accounts, photographs, and videos of the disaster. In addition to preserving these memories, the Memorial creates new exhibits and learning programs with these materials. Learn more

  • FIELDWORK

    The MINAMISANRIKU 311 Memorial has an area featuring artworks where visitors can gaze into the memories of the Great East Japan Earthquake with the eyes of their hearts. It is a place for quietly reflecting on the meaning of nature, humanity, and life. Additionally, the Memorial also offers visitors the option to join tours where they can visit areas near the museum that have preserved memories of the disaster, as well as diverse educational workshops. Learn more

About the Architecture: Kengo Kuma and Minamisanriku

I started to draw the grand design in 2013, 2 years after 3/11, and was involved in the reconstruction of Minamisanriku for about 10 years. The new manmade ground was cut off from the sea, which had been raised 10 meters, and a large sea wall was built atop it. I wanted to reconnect it to the sea and earth and recreate it as a warm, walkable town. So, the town was rebuilt with the sense of streets and trees (Minamisanriku cedar) as themes.
The MINAMISANRIKU 311 Memorial is the culmination of the town’s community development efforts. The Memorial stitches together one axis (the Sun Sun Shopping Village [2017]) that looks out to the sea with another (the Nakabashi Bridge [2020]) that reaches straight toward the sea. Thus, the sea, mountains, river, and town are connected as one “ring,” through which a state of resonance is created between the town and its people.
To bring multiple axes and streets together, the MINAMISANRIKU 311 Memorial was designed as a “hole” that attracts the flow of people. The louvers of Minamisanriku cedar are arranged radially from the center of the ""hole"" on the facade to further strengthen the attraction, connecting people to one another and to the earth.
Inside, the museum displays works that convey the memory of the disaster, such as Christian Boltanski’s posthumous work “Memorial,” and a group of works by young artists from Tokyo University of the Arts. The space is designed with the idea that the disaster is not something to be buried in the past but that it continues to be an issue to be faced today.

Photo (c) J.C. Carbonne

Project for Developing Healing Works

The exterior features a three-dimensional artwork created through a project by Tokyo University of the Arts.
Commissioned by Kengo Kuma & Associates, Professor Junji Ito, a specially appointed professor at Tokyo University of the Arts' COI Center, collaborated with young artists to create the work, inspired by thoughts of the disaster-affected areas.

Smart Vision for Community Building (formerly the Cultural Diplomacy and Art Business Group) of the COI Site at Tokyo University of the Arts has been engaged in a project to restore the landscape of the disaster-affected areas of Tohoku. Ten years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, so in a situation where some distance from the disaster has emerged, we have worked to promote the passing down and recreation of those memories.
Junji Ito, Project Coordinator

Junji Ito Profile
Specially Appointed Professor at COI Site, Tokyo University of the Arts. Project Planner and Producer. Commissioner of the Japanese Pavilion at the 1995 Venice Biennale. Professor at the University of Toyama from 2005 to 2013. Chairperson of the Executive Committee of Kanayamachi Rakuichi from 2008 to 2012. Former Director of the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum. Governing Council Member of the Japan Cultural Institute in Paris. Honorary Director of the Toyama City Museum of Glass Art. Advisor at JEXT, Inc.

■Three-Dimensional Works

  • Warmth (Exterior) ／Aluminum, Wrap Paint

    Ishimura Daichi

    1. Artwork Concept
    A large rabbit sofa one can sit on, touch, and enjoy.
    Large ears look after the surroundings while the body is relaxed.
    Sit and relive the warmth of that day.

    2. Technical Approach
    This work is based on hammering techniques (shaping with backing metal and hammer). Aluminum plates are cut into pieces, put together to form each part, and welded to make a unified artwork. Rather than being a work of “traditional craft” whose main purpose is appreciation, this work was produced under the theme of “practical object,” which is closer to the viewer and then was sublimated into an artwork.
    This work takes durability and safety into consideration and represents the artistic traits of rabbit and wrap painting.

    Profile
    1991: Born in Ehime Prefecture.
    2018: Graduated Metal Casting Course at Tokyo University of the Arts.
    2020: Obtained MA in Metal Casting from Tokyo University of the Arts.
    Currently an educational and research assistant for Common Studio Hammering and Machinery Room at Tokyo University of the Arts.