Left, at Natori city fires break out at houses which had been swept out to sea by the
tsunami.Most buildings lost or damaged in the disaster were of recent construction, but a sizeable proportion were older. Data for unlisted historic buildings is sporadic and incomplete. Middle, damage at the late 17th-century Zuiganji temple complex was relatively minor and repairable. Bottom, timber was dislocated and plaster lost at the early 17th centuryOsaki Hachimangu shrine. However, earthquakemitigation strategies appear to have prevented worse damage
in Japan. A Temple representative told Sankei News that the Kuri building was undergoing earthquake protectionworkwhen the earthquake hit, and that damage to the building was relatively slight. The main temple itself also suffered minor damage to timber carvings and the displacement of timber pillars. The TrainingDojo (learning centre) building in the temple complexwas used as an emergency evacuation
centre.Normally,Dojo is closed to public access but the temple offered shelter and food for 300 tourists and local people. AnotherNational Treasure in Miyagi Prefecture –
OsakiHachimangu Shrine, a Shinto structure built in 1607 and renowned for its association with Shogun MasamuneDate – was also affected by strong tremors. Damage to timber boarding, plaster finishes and timber carvings was reported. It is believed that the earthquake protection works carried out in 2004 had helped to prevent greater loss to the original fabric. However, 21 historic stone lanterns in the main approach to the shrine collapsed. An estimated 80 per cent of the centuries-old
stone lanterns at Sendai Toshogu Shrine (1654) collapsed, as did the Bell Tower of the Old Kodoukan (1841). Fukushima Church of United Church Christ in Japan (1909)was identified as unsafe due to the severe structural cracks in the building and designated for demolition. The church was the first commissioned work byWilliam Merrell Vories (1880-1964), an American architect based in Japan. The wooden- framed church,with a red brick exterior, became a prototype for the new churches in the area. There has been much opposition to demolition, especially from the architectural community; however, despite this it was pulled down at the end of March. Most of the severe damage to historic buildings was
due to the tsunami, which was impossible to protect against. Rokkakudou (1905), a listed cultural property, was designed by Tenshin Okakura, a Japanese modern artist/philosopher, and it was built at the edge of a
66 Cornerstone, Vol 32, No 3 2011
PUBLISHED IN APRIL STATED THAT
‘A REPORT
ALTHOUGH SOME
REPAIRABLE, THEYWERE DEMOLISHED’
IDENTIFIED AS
BUILDINGS WERE
YOMIURI YOMIURI/REUTERS
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