Eternal Relief- Heritage of Disaster Prevention Through the Memories of Tsunami and Recovery in Hirogawa

The sea coast of Hirogawa town is lined with Pine trees, which look like a folding screen. A Seawall built by pilling soil which is quite high, creates a buffer zone from the sea and becomes a part of the multi-protection system together with offshore piers and coastal stone levee.In this refuge conscious town by the Seawall, the streets toward hills and side roads are lined with gorgeous wooden made three-story residential towers and town houses with heavy tiled roof and impressive mortal and rustic walls. After a tsunami hit the area in the Edo period, people successfully recovered and it became a typical town of disaster defense culture in Japan. And its refuge conscious heritage has helped people transfer the memory of disasters from generation to generation and are still alive in their daily lives.