29 years after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Storyteller's current location January 1 16:14
The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake occurred on January 1995, 1.
The existence of "storytellers" has played a major role in preventing the fading of memories.
However, the aging of these "storytellers" has become an issue.
Says one 17-year-old storyteller.
"I want to continue to tell the story as long as my body allows, but it will be difficult for the organization to survive if this situation continues," he said
, while also seeing a movement among the younger generation that has begun to move to pass on the story even if they have no memory of the disaster.
The 80-year-old storyteller looks at the damage caused by the Noto Peninsula earthquake on January 29 and says, "Every day I think about what I can do now."
Twenty-nine years have passed since that day, and we have followed the storyteller's "current location."
(Kobe Broadcasting Station reporter Kazumasa Oda)
"Reflections" conveyed by a veteran storyteller
Kobe City's NPO "Kobe no Kizuna 2005" is made up of former local government employees who experienced the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
We continue to work to pass on the experiences of that time from the standpoint of the government.
Yoshihiro Ohama (19) has been a storyteller for 80 years.
At the time, he was the principal of an elementary school in Kobe City, and he has talked about his experience in managing evacuation centers at lectures around the country.
Ms. Ohama says that what is important in her storytelling activities is to convey her own "reflections."
Last month (December), I spoke to about 12 students at a junior high school in Nishi-ku, Kobe City.
"All of a sudden, there was a 'boom!! shaking from below for about 20 seconds. And the city was severely damaged.
I'm embarrassed to say that many people, including myself, assumed that there would be no major earthquake in Kobe.
I am going to tell everyone here what I experienced in the earthquake and what I learned as a lesson, so please take it seriously and make use of it to prepare for future disasters."
The aging of the population and the growing sense of crisis
At the NPO, there were about 30 storytellers at its peak, but the number is decreasing year by year due to the aging of the population.
There are currently eight storytellers, including Mr. Ohama, who are actually active.
This fiscal year (FY8), we have received about 2023 requests for lectures for students on school trips visiting Hyogo Prefecture, and Mr. Ohama is handling more than 20 of these requests alone.
The average age of the eight storytellers working in the group is nearly 10 years old, and the population is aging year by year.
Ms. Ohama hopes to continue her storytelling activities as long as her physical strength continues, but she feels that securing new storytellers is a major issue for her continued activities in the future.
Mr. Ohama:
"The number of storytellers has decreased considerably compared to the period when it was high at the time of its establishment, and I have
a strong sense of crisis about whether we can continue the activities of the organization As we approach the 30th anniversary of the disaster, I would like to think about effective ways to do so, such as actively disseminating the activities of the organization."
More than half of the storytellers are in their 70s or older.
Twenty-nine years have passed since the disaster, and how has the field of tradition changed?
The interviews revealed data that supports the reality of the aging of storytellers.
Last month (December), Associate Professor Kumiko Yamaji of Kobe University's Regional Cooperation Promotion Division conducted a survey on the age structure of storytellers at 12 facilities and organizations in Hyogo Prefecture that have been engaged in storytelling activities for more than 10 years.
According to the report, there are a total of 13 storytellers who belong to each facility and organization.
Of these, 158 were in their 70s or older, or more than half of the total.
This was followed by 84 people in their 50s, 26 people in their 60s, 24 people in their 40s, 11 people in their 30s, and 10 people in their 20s.
In the survey, opinions such as "It will be difficult to continue activities as it is because there are no successors" and "Social support is necessary for the working generation to participate" were received.
On the other hand, according to another survey conducted by Associate Professor Yamaji, two new "storyteller" groups have been established in the past four years, mainly by young people in their teens and twenties who have not experienced the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
Associate Professor Yamaji points out that in order to keep the succession alive, it is important to talk about "multiple generations" from the young to the elderly.
Kumiko Yamaji, Associate Professor
, Kobe University: "The memories and lessons of the earthquake disaster told in one's own words are persuasive, and the role of storytellers is important in thinking about how to prepare for new disasters.
However, as time passes, the generation that experienced the earthquake will eventually become older, so I believe that there will be an even greater need for cross-generational efforts to pass on memories to the next generation and pass them on to the next generation.
To that end, it is necessary to create an environment in which employees can continue to work and attend school, in order to develop successors, and it is an issue that society as a whole must consider."
I was 0 years old, "But I want to talk about it."
On the other hand, there is also a movement of the younger generation to prepare for new disasters and pass them on to the story, even if they do not have memories of the disaster.
I'm Mirai Yoneyama (29), an office worker from Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture.
When he was two months old, he was struck by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, but he says he has no memory of the situation at that time or the damage to the city.
However, five years ago, I started my own storytelling activities in order to carry on the legacy of my father, Masayuki (2), who has been working as a storyteller at a facility in Awaji City for 19 years.
I am particularly conscious of the ability to appeal to the younger generation.
Through live streaming using a smartphone app, we have devised our own way to convey the scale of the damage caused by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and useful information for disaster prevention in a quiz format.
In fact, Mr. Yoneyama now lives in Kanagawa Prefecture and works for a company.
Even so, he takes advantage of the advantage of live streaming, which can be transmitted from anywhere, regardless of time or place, and sends from his home in Kanagawa Prefecture and Awaji Island, where his parents' home is located.
However, Mr. Yoneyama says that he was initially worried about talking about the disaster because he had no memory.
What pushed me was the words of my father, Masayuki, who is also a "senior" of the storytellers.
Mirai Yoneyama
: "I was worried that my lack of memory would not be as convincing as the words of a storyteller who actually experienced the disaster, but my father, who consulted me, told me, 'You can be a storyteller even if you don't have a memory. In order to pass on the lessons, you should work on it with pride.'
Those words made me feel that I could understand the feelings of the younger generation who had not experienced the disaster, and I decided to tell the story in my own way."
What can storytellers do now?
On New Year's Day, an earthquake with a maximum seismic intensity of 7 was observed on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture.
Then, on January 10, more than 1 days after the earthquake.
Yoneyama visited a prefectural facility in Futaba, Fukushima Prefecture, to give a lecture in front of about 14 people, including storytellers of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
In it, he touched on the current situation in the areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, where rescue activities are ongoing, and talked about his current state of mind.
"While it is difficult for me to go to the disaster area as an individual and provide support, I spend my days thinking about what I can do as a storyteller."
A catastrophe that may occur at any time and place.
Ms. Yoneyama said that she could save someone's life by talking about it now.
I am 29 years old and have no memory of the disaster, but I would like to continue my activities to convey the story because I cherish my desire to prevent the same tragedy from happening again and to reduce the number of people who feel sad due to the disaster.
The next person to take the baton is...
Now that there are concerns about the fading of memories, further ingenuity is required.
Last month (December), I covered a junior high school in Suma Ward, Kobe City.
Here, junior high school students have begun an initiative to hear about their experiences from those who experienced the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, summarize the contents, and pass them on to elementary school students.
It is a relay of memories between children who have not experienced the disaster.
A third-year junior high school female student who is involved in the activities said, "I was worried about telling people about the disaster, but as I learned more, I became more determined not to let it fade away."
The aging of storytellers progresses with the passage of time.
It can be said that this is an issue in the disaster-stricken areas that is similar not only to the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, but also to the Great Japan Earthquake that Japan experienced afterwards.
If you rely only on your personal sense of mission, you will eventually reach your limit.
What can be done to support the sustainable activities of storyteller organizations?
How do we ensure that our successors acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for them?
For the sake of those who will receive the baton next, we need to urgently discuss how to provide support.
(Scheduled to be broadcast on "News 3" on January 1 and "Hotto Kansai" on January 14)
Kobe Broadcasting Station reporter
Kazumasa
Oda joined the station in 2014 (Kanazawa) After working in Kagoshima,
he has been
with the company since 2021 and is currently in
charge of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Secretariat