Rikuzentakata, Iwate

Rikuzentakata 陸前高田市
City
Flag
Location of Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture
Rikuzentakata Location in Japan
Coordinates: 39°1′N 141°38′E / 39.017°N 141.633°E / 39.017; 141.633Coordinates: 39°1′N 141°38′E / 39.017°N 141.633°E / 39.017; 141.633
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Iwate Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Toba Futoshi
Area
• Total	232.29 km2 (89.69 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	23,302
• Density	100/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Symbols
- Tree	Cryptomeria
- Flower	Camellia
- Bird	Common Gull
Address	110 aza Tatenooki, Takatachō, Rikuzentakata-shi, Iwate-ken 029-2292
Phone number	0192-54-2111
Website	Rikuzentakata City

Rikuzentakata (陸前高田市, Rikuzentakata-shi) is a city located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on January 1, 1955.

In the quinquennial census of 2010, the city has a population of 23,302 (2005: 24,709)^[1] and a population density of 100 persons per km². The total area is 232.29 km². The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami caused extensive damage to the city.

Geography

The city contained Lake Furukawanuma until the 2011 tsunami destroyed it.

Politics and government

Rikuzentakata City Hall

Rikuzentakata is governed by mayor Toba Futoshi. The city assembly has 20 elected members.

Elections

• Rikuzentakata mayoral election, 2007

Industry

As of 2011, oyster farming produced ¥40 million in annual sales for the city.^[2]

Transportation

There is one railroad line with six stations in Rikuzentakata.

• JR East

• Ōfunato Line: Rikuzen-Yahagi Station, Takekoma Station, Rikuzen-Takata Station, Wakinosawa Station, Otomo Station

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami effects

Rikuzentakata was reported to have been "wiped off the map" by the tsunami following the Tōhoku earthquake.^[3] According to the police, every building smaller than three stories high has been completely flooded,^[4] with buildings bigger than three stories high being flooded partially, one of the buildings being the city hall, where the water also reached as high as the third floor.^[5] The Japan Self-Defense Forces initially reported that between 300 and 400 bodies were found in the town.^[6]

Rikuzentakata City Hall after the tsunami

On 14 March, an illustrated BBC report showed a picture of the town, describing it as "almost completely flattened." "It is not clear how many survived."^[7] The town's tsunami shelters were designed for a wave of three to four metres in height, but the tsunami of March 2011 created a wave 13 metres high which inundated the designated safe locations.^[8] Local officials estimate that 20% to 40% of the town's population is dead. "Rikuzen-Takata effectively no longer exists."^[9] Although the town was well prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis and had a 6.5 metre high seawall, it was not enough and more than 80% of 8,000 houses were swept away.^[10]

A BBC film dated 20 March reported that the harbour gates of the town failed to shut as the tsunami approached, and that 45 young firemen were swept away while attempting to close them manually. The same film reported that 500 bodies had been recovered in the town, but that 10,000 people were still unaccounted-for out of a population of 26,000.^[11] As of 3 April 2011, 1,000 people from the town were confirmed dead with 1,300 still missing.^[12] In late May 2011, an Australian reporter interviewed a surviving volunteer firefighter who has said 49 firefighters were killed in Rikuzentakata by the tsunami, among 284 firefighters known to have died along the affected coast, many while closing the doors of the tsunami barriers along the seashore.^[13]

Sixty-eight city officials, about one-third of the city's municipal employees, were killed. The town's mayor, Futoshi Toba, was at his post at the city hall and survived, but his wife was killed at their seaside home.^[14] The wave severely damaged the artifact and botanical collection at the city's museum and killed the staff of six people.^[15]

Takata-matsubara

Takata-matsubara

Takata-Matsubara (高田松原) is a two-kilometre stretch of shoreline that was lined with approximately seventy thousand pines.^[16] In 1927 it was selected as one of the 100 Landscapes of Japan (Shōwa era) and in 1940 it was designated a Place of Scenic Beauty.^[17][18] After the 2011 tsunami a single, ten-metre, two hundred year-old tree remained from the forest. Due to coastal erosion this is only five metres from the sea and is at threat from increased salinity. The Association for the Protection of Takata-Matsubara along with the municipal and prefectural governments are taking measures, including the erection of barriers, to protect the surviving pine.^[16]

As of September 2011, there were signs that these measures may be failing, despite all good efforts. Salt water is poisoning the roots. The tree is no longer producing resin, and the needles have turned brown. Buds that had appeared earlier have withered, and the pine cones are discolored.^[19] It was later revealed to have finally died, and in September 2012 was felled for preservation. It is expected to be replaced in 2013 as a "commemorative tree".^[20]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rikuzentakata, Iwate.

• Rikuzentakata City official website (Japanese)
• Gala day procession with floats, August 2010 Five videos available in this series
• The tsumani sweeping over Rikuzentakata
• AlJazeera report on Rikuzentakata after the waters receded
• Rikuzentata as the rescue begins Mark Willacy reports for ABC News
• Tsunami Damage, Rikuzentakata (March 2011) Before-and-after thermal satellite images from NASA
• The floodgate that didn't work to stop the tsunami BBC report on the failure of the Rikuzentakata floodgates

v t e Iwate Prefecture Cities Hachimantai Hanamaki Ichinoseki Kamaishi Kitakami Kuji Miyako Morioka (capital) Ninohe Ōfunato Ōshū Rikuzentakata Takizawa Tōno Districts Isawa Iwate Kamihei Kesen Kunohe Ninohe Nishiiwai Shimohei Shiwa Waga See also: Towns and villages by district