Is there a name on the memorial in your city?

January 13, 19:47

A man felt a great deal of discomfort at a park in Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, where he visited the park in Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, to quietly join hands with his relatives who died in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

I couldn't find the names of my mother and sister that I thought were listed there.

(Kobe Broadcasting Station reporter Mizuha Ide / Born in 1995 when the earthquake struck)

"There is no nameplate" on the memorial monument

"Because I was away from Ashiya, I attended the memorial service for the first time in a long time. When I thought that they were resting here, I would say" peacefully "to the name of the memorial monument. No. I didn't. "

This is Mr. Jun Masuda (71) from Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture.

Masuda is a bereaved family who lost her mother Etsuko (71 at the time) and her sister Misako (47 at the time) in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake 27 years ago.

It was a memorial service for Ashiya City, where I returned to my hometown for the first time in about 20 years when I retired.

I thought the memorial was engraved with a name.

Why not publish it?

The "Monument of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial and Reconstruction" in Ashiya City, where Mr. Masuda joined hands, is located in a park about a 5-minute walk from the city hall.

The large stone monument was completed the year after the earthquake.

After that, a nameplate engraved with the names of all 452 victims was "dedicated" to the "underground" in front of them.

In other words, the name cannot be seen from the outside.

Why did it take the form of "votive offering"?

When I visited the city hall, the person in charge took out an old memo and told me how it happened.

In November 1995, 10 months after the earthquake, a local Rotary club offered to borrow a list to engrave the victim's name because he wanted to donate a monument, and city executives at the time said. Spent a month of discussion.

However, because it is difficult to obtain the consent of the bereaved family and there is no standard for disclosing the name, he decided not to leave the list.

Ashiya City representative

"It is painful that there is a name as one bond that connects the bereaved family and the deceased person. If there is an opinion that you want to go out and check it yourself, on the contrary, the name Some people want to keep it secret. What should I do if I have the same idea but the opposite answer? I think the staff at that time also struggled. "

Mr. Masuda, who lost his family in Ashiya City, told the city that he wanted the two to leave a proof that they were alive, and that even those who wished to do so would like to disclose their names.

However, the answer was, "In many cases, it has been a long time since the earthquake and the bereaved families have lost their whereabouts, and it takes an enormous amount of time to confirm with each person, so there are no plans to create a new memorial monument." It's back.

I want to keep my family name

Mr. Masuda arrived in the neighboring city of Kobe.

The names of the victims outside of Kobe City are listed in the "Monument of Memorial and Reconstruction" at Higashi Yuenchi, a park where lanterns are lined up every year on January 17, when the earthquake struck. I heard that you can also raise it.

According to the NPO that manages it, of the names of more than 5,000 people currently in existence, about 230 have died outside the city.

The idea is that no matter where you die, you are the victim of the same earthquake.

On the 11th of last month, Mr. Masuda was able to add a plate with the names of his mother and sister to this place.

Mr. Masuda, who raised his name while shedding tears, said:

Mr. Masuda

"I think I can thank and apologize to the person who died in front of the monument because I have a name. I must not forget the earthquake, but I think that a name is necessary for disaster prevention. I think that this place will continue to convey to the world that "earthquakes are scary," "painful," and "if you die, you'll be afraid."

A living testimony with your real name

Whether to put a name on the memorial monument.

The judgment is divided by the local government, but after discussion, it was found that there is a local government that carved its name on the memorial monument a quarter of a century after the earthquake.

Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture, where 119 people died.

A memorial monument engraved with the words "I will never forget the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake" was erected in a park on a hill overlooking the city.

The monument bears the names of 75 of the dead.

(* The Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced in 2006 that the number of people was 117 as a final report.

I was able to talk to the person who knows the process best.

This is Tomoko Nakagawa, who served as the mayor for 12 years until last year.

Tomoko Nakagawa, Takarazuka City Former Mayor

"I could only say the number of victims in the greeting, and I couldn't imagine each one. It was hard. Each had a family and a life, and there was hope for tomorrow. It's also a proof of life, and I believed that by thinking about those who died, we could decide to save our lives in the event of a disaster. "

After taking office as mayor, Mr. Nakagawa works to create a memorial monument with the names of the victims.

To ask directly what the bereaved families think, the city conducted a questionnaire to all 113 bereaved families who knew their contact information.

As a result, 71 people agreed and 9 people disagreed with making a memorial monument.

(33 people who did not answer, unknown address, etc.)

Of those who agreed, 61 agreed to enter the name, and 10 disagreed.

Mr. Nakagawa showed me a memo with the opinions of the bereaved family.

"Agree"

・ It is a proof that my son was alive

・ There is no name plate in Takarazuka and Kobe is far away.

I want you to leave a testimony in the land of Takarazuka where your family lives . ・

I hope you can build a nameplate because you died in the land of Takarazuka.

・ To remember without forgetting

"Opposite"

-I want you to keep quiet-I

do

n't need two (because some monuments don't already have a name) I want you to keep quiet

-Death is a personal thing of the family.

I do not want to remember.

・ I want to forget it soon.

In the midst of pros and cons, the plan returned to a blank slate in 2016, saying that it was not possible to use taxes to create a new memorial monument.

In February 2019, Mr. Nakagawa received a letter.

"Would you please leave your name on the memorial?"

The sender of the spelled letter is Akemi Funakoshi (74) from Fukuoka Prefecture.

He lost his 17-year-old son, Takarazuka, who lived in Takarazuka City with the aim of becoming a professional shogi player.

Mr. Funakoshi

"I was disappointed to hear that the plan to make a memorial monument engraved with my son's name was ruined. I wish there was a place where I could always join hands and feel my son. "

This letter pushed my back and Mr. Nakagawa started to move again.

The memorial monument was erected based on the donations collected by calling on the citizens.

It is a small monument 1 meter 35 cm wide and about 1 meter high, but it certainly bears the names of the people who lived in this city.

Mr. Nakagawa says that the bereaved families who came to the unveiling ceremony will never forget the appearance of mourning while tracing the name of the family.

Mr. Nakagawa

"By engraving the name on the place where the family lived, the surviving family members may be able to decide to move forward. People's feelings will change. Initially, the name will be changed. Even if I don't want to put it out, I've made a margin so that I can do it when I think "I'll carve it" after that. I hope it will be such a memorial monument. "

In the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake

In the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, there were many cases where a memorial monument was built with the option of giving only the name of the person who obtained the consent or making it possible to remove the name.

In Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, two monuments were completed last year in memory of the city officials who died in the tsunami.

The idea is to leave a testimony of what was done for the citizens to the end, one of which is engraved with the names of 93 victims who have been approved by the bereaved family.

The other is written that "the 111 fellow city officials who were involved in evacuation guidance also lost their precious lives."

In addition, Tagajo City, Miyagi Prefecture has set up a monument in the park in front of the station.

A metal plate engraved with the names of 105 victims is housed in a central cylinder.

You can't usually see it, but it means that it was unlocked and the inside is open only on March 11th, when the earthquake struck.

The memorial facility "Kamaishi Memorial Park" completed in March 2019 in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, where 1064 people were killed, has

a "Yoshinaban" with the names of 1001 people written on it.

The name can be removed depending on the wishes of the bereaved family by inserting a plate with the name on it.

Kamaishi City representative

"Initially, there is privacy, so there was an opinion that we should not post the names of everyone, and we will dedicate it in an invisible form. On the other hand, there was a great deal of damage from the earthquake at that time. There were many opinions that the name should be kept in order to keep a record and pass on the large number of victims to future generations, so if it is a removable form, it can be attached and detached according to the feelings of the bereaved family etc. I thought. "

Some people said that they wanted to remove it, but the reason was, "I want my family to be lined up together, not in alphabetical order, so I want them to be removed and then rearranged."

It means that some parts have been rearranged.

There is also space left for you to add a name in the future.

Expert "A margin to put your name on the memorial monument"

Yoshiteru Murosaki, Dean of the Graduate School of Disaster Mitigation and Reconstruction Policy, University of Hyogo, who has continued to make proposals for recovery and disaster prevention from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, imagines the weight of the lives of each deceased victim and makes a disaster. I point out that it is important to connect the memories of Hyogo and the lessons of disaster prevention.

Yoshiteru Murosaki, Dean of the Graduate School of Disaster Mitigation and Reconstruction Policy, University of Hyogo

"6400 people died at one time in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. I think we are required to give a memorial service, but to do so, it is essential to confirm the name firmly. With the main premise of respecting the feelings of the bereaved family, first of all, only those who wish We will start. As the number of people who want us to engrave their names over time, we will increase the number of names. I don't think it should be. "

On top of that, Mr. Murosaki added:

Mr. Murosaki

"In order to share the disaster that many people died in society as a whole, I think it is necessary for the government to support and take the lead. Isn't it the responsibility to leave the carved memorial? "

What is the memorial monument for?

What is the meaning of putting the name there?

I don't think there is one answer.

Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, which was first introduced, has no name on the memorial monument, but at the ceremony of 20 years after the earthquake, the names of the victims were read aloud and in memory of each person who died. A copy of the name plate is open to the public.

I think the important thing is to connect memories and lessons to as many people as possible while respecting the desire to engrave the name and the desire to not do so.

What should a disaster memorial be?

What do you think of yourself?

● This content will be announced in "Good Morning Japan" on January 14th (Friday).

Kobe Broadcasting Station Reporter

Mizuha Ide

Joined in 2017 Born

in 1995

when the earthquake occurred.