TSUNAMI STONES

KO SASAKI

Imposing, tall stones that date back hundreds of years are installed along the North East coastline of Japan, serving as warnings, information points, and grim reminders of the danger and destructive force of tsunamis. Sometimes as tall as 10 feet, these ‘tsunami stones’ carried inscriptions that insured important information about tsunamis was transmitted from one generation to the next. Many instructed people to immediately flee to higher ground in the event of a strong earthquake. Some indicated places that were at a safe distance from a tsunami’s reach. Others bore details of the death and destruction caused by past tsunamis. For centuries, the stones have warned people of these dangers, influencing their response to tsunamis and even affecting where villages were built. Although they have since been replaced by more technological warning and defence systems, they persist as reminders of the effect tsunamis have had on Japan’s history.