To raise the unknown Ebisu statue due to the Great East Japan Earthquake tsunami Miyagi Kesennuma Jan 14 11:46

It is nine years since the Great East Japan Earthquake. In the stricken area of ​​Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, the whereabouts of the "Ebisu Statue", which had been watching the safety of fishing, had been lost due to the earthquake, but it was found in the nearby sea and will be raised on the 14th.

Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, was severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, and the "Ebisu statue" at the tip of the cape of Uomachi in the city, looking into Kesennuma Bay, was missing.

The "Ebisu statue" made of red copper is about 1 meter and 50 centimeters in height, has a fishing pole, and has been popular with fisheries officials in the local area where bonito fishing is thriving.

Local officials looked for the whereabouts, but could not find it, creating a new statue of Ebisu, which was to be unveiled this spring. However, last November, a missing statue was found in the sea, about 25 meters west of the site.

For this reason, a new statue will be set up locally as planned, and the found "Ebisu statue" will be raised from the sea on the 14th and dedicated to a local shrine so that it can be toured. NHK entered the sea on March 13 with the permission of the city and the Japan Coast Guard before raising it.

The "Ebisu statue" was about 5 meters deep and had no seaweed on the surface, and the rod held in the right hand was bent. Had left its shape.

`` Ebisu statue '' that has been popular with fishermen

After the disaster, the "Ebisu Statue", which had been lost, was set up at the tip of a cape in Uomachi, Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, overlooking Kesennuma Bay.

In the local area of ​​Kesennuma where bonito fishing is thriving, it is called `` Ebisu-san '', and fishermen who pray for the safety of fishing and big catches have joined hands before departure and prayed for the healthy growth of children. Was.

The Ebisu statue, which has become a local symbol, was partly due to the bitter experience of the war. In fact, this "Ebisu statue" is the second generation, and the first statue was installed in 1932, but was recovered by the military. It is said that it was used locally for bullets.

After the war, with the support of local fishermen, a long-awaited second-generation statue was formed in 1988.

However, after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, it was washed away by the tsunami and its location was lost. After that, local fisheries officials and divers searched, but could not find it, and it was lost. For this reason, three years ago (2017), local shrines and fisheries officials began working to create a new third-generation statue of Ebisu in the local area, and it was scheduled to be unveiled this spring.

And last November, when the construction work was being carried out to repair the surrounding area, a second-generation statue in the sea at a depth of about 5 meters, about 25 meters to the west of the place where the construction staff on the shore was originally installed I found

A man in charge of construction who found the second-generation statue looked at the sea from the shore and said that he had found it. When I was asked, it was a statue of Ebisu, and I feel very happy as a site. "

The underwater statue of Ebisu ...

When the NHK dive coverage group entered the sea, the inside of the sea was turbid and could be seen up to 3 meters away, but about 3 minutes after entering the sea, the "Ebisu statue" was about 5 meters deep I found.

The "Ebisu statue" had no seaweed attached on the surface, and the right hand was bent, but the left hand hung a large sword and left its shape from head to foot. The face was not very dirty and looked cheerful.

A contractor requested by the city ties a wire to the underwater statue of Ebisu and lifts it with a crane on the 14th.

Masashi Kamiyama of Isuzu Shrine, who is responsible for the statue of Ebisu who saw the underwater image, said, "Thank you for finding such a beautiful form, in a splendid form. Was.

There is a voice of joy in the local ...

After the disaster, the "Ebisu statue", which had been lost, was found, and local fishermen have been singing with joy.

Of these, Ken Usui (77) has been involved in management as a chairman of a fishery-related company for 138 years. Prior to the disaster, Mr. Usui prayed for the safety of the voyage and great fishing when the company's tuna ship departed, and when returning to the port, expressed his gratitude to the Ebisu statue with thanks for having completed the voyage safely. Was matched.

However, the company's buildings were completely destroyed by the tsunami of the earthquake, and the statue of Ebisu was lost. After the earthquake, Mr. Usui entrusted the president to his son in 2012 and rebuilt the company, while the local symbol `` Ebisu statue '' was indispensable for the reconstruction of Kesennuma, a fishing town I was looking for my whereabouts. With the cooperation of volunteer divers and other fisheries officials, the surrounding sea was searched several times. This time, I searched the underwater surrounding area, but could not find it.

For this reason, Mr. Usui started a construction committee with shrines and fisheries officials three years ago, began to work on the third generation statue of Ebisu, with the cooperation of a private company, and was planning to show it off in the spring. . The second generation was found during the construction work around the area where the statue of Ebisu will be installed for the third generation to be unveiled.

When he was found, Mr. Usui said, "I was surprised to find it right in front of me because I had searched around." Kesennuma's catch has dropped significantly due to the earthquake, but it is gradually increasing for recovery.

Mr. Usui said, "I've revived a lot, but I'm worried about the decline of the population, so I would like to ask the second generation to make the port prosper and many ships come to Kesennuma." Was.