Sign

At 2:46 p.m. Japan standard time on March 11th, 2011, a massive M9.0 earthquake happened at 130 kilometers off shore of Miyagi Prefecture in northeast Japan. Following the quake was an unprecedentedly destructive tsunami that hit towns along the Sanriku region.

That part of Japan has a geographically unique formation of saw tooth coastline, which made the tsunami even deadlier, adding force and height to become as high as 15 meters when reaching small fishing communities at the end of deep inlets.

The quake and tsunami left what apocalyptic landscape that must be like if indeed the end of the world comes. As far as the eye can see, there are pieces of everything, a sea of debris. It was hard to differentiate ground from the sky, hard to breathe without inhaling dust and stench, and hard to walk without falling over.

It has been said, and still is, that Japanese people are the most educated, prepared, and trained people in the world when it comes to facing an earthquake. However, it is proven yet again that nature always goes beyond any conceivable scales set by humans.

Documenting the aftermath of the quake and tsunami was virtually an act of collecting signs. Signs of quake and tsunami are so obvious throughout disaster areas, of course, but so are the signs of life, town, and living.

しるし

M9.0という未曾有の大地震は震源地周辺の東北三県に圧倒的被害をもたらした。発生が確実だとされ、常に高度の準備と対策を行ってきた中で起きたこの天災は、しかし、人間が設けた物差しがついに天変地異を読み切ることができないと今一度証明したに過ぎない。被災地の撮影は、地震と津波が残した爪痕とそこに確かに在った街、生活、人生のしるしを掬い上げる作業だったと今は思う。

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