About the park
About ISHINOMAKI MINAMIHAMA TSUNAMI MEMORIAL PARK
The Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred around 14:46 on March 11, 2011, caused enormous damage over a wide area due to the strong tremors with a maximum seismic intensity of 7. The tsunami waves occurred subsequent to the earthquake inflicted unprecedented damages.
Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, suffered the greatest damage in Japan, causing about 4,000 casualties. Among them, more than 500 people were killed in the Minamihama district (Minamihama-cho, Kadonowaki-cho and Hibarino-cho) located at the mouth of the former Kitakamigawa River due to the tsunami and the subsequent fire spread. The Minamihama area, which was particularly severely damaged, has been damaged by earthquakes, tsunamis, fires, and land subsidence in a complex manner, and the city became well-known for the great damage.
(November 2006)
(May 2013)
The Reconstruction Memorial Park that will be built will serve as a key reconstruction memorial park for Miyagi Prefecture and the entire disaster area, not only for this area but also for all the lives that were sacrificed by the Great East Japan Earthquake. It will be a place of reconstruction and repose of souls, and a base to pass on the memories and lessons of the Great East Japan Earthquake to the next generation. Furthermore, it will be a symbol of recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake by wishing people gather in what used to be an urban area and deepen bonds between people.
Based on this recognition, the basic principles of Ishinomaki Minamihama Reconstruction Memorial Park have been established as follows.
Based on this recognition, the basic philosophy of ISHINOMAKI MINAMIHAMA TSUNAMI MEMORIAL PARK was established as follows.
The design and operation management of ISHINOMAKI MINAMIHAMA TSUNAMI MEMORIAL PARK is based on this basic philosophy.
Basic design concept
～A significant association of the history of the land, the memory of the city, the Memorial Park with honor and remembrance～
As the realization of the basic idea and the space composition of the park, the “beach” that shows the history and the climate in Minamihama area, and the “city” that represents thoughts of the half a century of memories of the area that were accumulated before the earthquake. Also, we thought it was important to respect the functions of the “Memorial Park” to commemorate the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and pass on the memories of the disaster to the next generation.
The basic design concept is to combine characteristics of three locations of “land history” before the urbanization of the Minamihama area, the “memory of the city” before the earthquake, and the “Memorial Park with honor and remembrance” after the earthquake.
●What the beach (land history) means
In the past, the south side of Shoninbori was a place where wetlands and pine forests spread. Later, when it was reclaimed, it became a mulberry field, an orchard, and a paddy field, and was gradually converted into a residential area.
●What the city (memory of the city) means
In order to preserve the memories of the city’s life and the loss of the city as lessons learned from the earthquake, we will leave the framework of the streets of the city before the earthquake as the main roads of the park.
●What remembrance and tradition mean
We will develop a memorial park as a place to commemorate the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake, to pass on lessons learned, and to convey a strong will for reconstruction.
