From regret at that time 12:36 on January 12, 2016
On the 17th of this month, it will be 28 years since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
There is an elementary school teacher who stands by emotionally traumatized children and their guardians and teaches them the lessons of the disaster.
I was also affected by the disaster, and I have faced the children while regretting that I could not save the lives in front of me.
What I am currently working on is to reach out to people who have grown up without being able to talk about their experiences of the earthquake, and to work with them to create teaching materials about the earthquake.
I chased the days when teachers walked and now.
(Osaka Broadcasting Station cameraman Kimihiko Shakono)
A sense of danger of weathering
Mamoru Nagata (55), a teacher at Ashiya Municipal Uchidehama Elementary School in Hyogo Prefecture.
Immediately after starting the interview, he talked about his sense of crisis that the earthquake had been forgotten.
Mr. Mamoru Nagata
"It's been 28 years since the earthquake, and I sometimes feel the atmosphere around me that I don't need to teach about the earthquake anymore, but I'm going to do it no matter what."
A life that could not be saved in front of my eyes
Mr. Nagata was in his sixth year as a teacher when the disaster struck.
At that time, I was living on the second floor of an apartment and it was very helpful.
However, the first floor was crushed by a big tremor that said, 'It was as if a huge monster shook the box violently.'
When she notices that there are residents buried alive, Nagata-san and her neighbors try to rescue them with their bare hands.
Mr. Mamoru Nagata
"When I dug, my legs came out, and when I touched them, they were still warm. I thought I could help them, so I managed to get my hips and shoulders out. But I'll take a closer look. And there was a big beam over his neck, and I couldn't put it out any further. I could only watch him grow colder and colder.
guilt about being alive
Couldn't you really help?
What is the boundary between life and death between you and the deceased?
Am I worthy of continuing to live?
When I went for a drive with Hideko, who became my wife at the time, I muttered, "If I turn the steering wheel here and cause an accident and die, it will be easier."
8 children Assigned to an elementary school where 6 guardians died
Five years after the earthquake.
I will be assigned to Ashiya Municipal Seido Elementary School, where 8 children and 6 guardians died.
Every year, we held a memorial service to send words to the deceased children and their guardians.
It is said that when he met the children, teachers, and bereaved families who were facing each other with tears in their eyes, he was shocked as if he had been hit in the head.
Mr. Nagata decided to face the disaster from which he was fleeing.
Believe that life is worth living
January 17, 2008.
In the 13th year of the earthquake, Mr. Nagata attended the memorial service at Seido Elementary School and was taken aback by the words of a bereaved family member.
It was the last words in the memorial message of Katsuyuki Yonezu, who lost his two children: "Life is worth living."
Mr. Mamoru Nagata
: "It was a great encouragement to me that someone who lost their child in a much more difficult situation than I had accepted my life so much."
Having lost sight of the value of life, Mr. Nagata thought about quitting teaching many times, but since then, he has continued teaching with these words as his emotional support.
Former children who started talking
Mr. Nagata has seen many children who are starting to move forward again by talking about the disasters they have experienced.
On the other hand, some people grew up without being able to talk about their experiences of the earthquake.
Mr. Nagata hoped that talking about their experiences in the disaster would give them an opportunity to look forward.
Ayako Matsumura (39), a graduate of Uchidehama Elementary School, where Nagata is currently working.
When she was in the 5th grade, she lost her close classmate Shoko Nakajima.
Uchidehama Elementary School has a Shoko-san tree in memory of Ms. Sachiko Nakajima. not.
Mr. Nagata asked him if he would like to make teaching materials together based on his experience of the disaster, and Mr. Matsumura decided to write illustrations and text.
Shoko's funny personality.
I was terrified when the city changed completely due to a sudden big tremor.
I couldn't believe it when I saw Shoko's portrait at the evacuation center.
I couldn't talk about Shoko's death with my classmates.
In desperation, she remembered Shoko and spent two weeks writing it.
Accepting children...
Mr. Matsumura showed a worried expression as to how the children would get through the class.
Children who read the teaching materials despite such feelings will announce one after another.
Female child
: "Mr. Matsumura said he didn't want to think about Shoko, but I thought that if my friend died like that, I wouldn't want to think about anything either. This is a normal everyday life. I pray that it will continue forever."
Male child
: “I wondered what this book could give us. My answer is to connect the thoughts of Matsumura-san, Shoko-san, and all the people who can feel it from this book.”
Ms. Ayako Matsumura:
“Though we must not forget those days, it is very painful to remember them. However, I hope that children will read my story and feel the importance of life, and that it will lead them to prepare for disasters. I was really happy when I heard the children's presentations today and felt that they were getting the message across."
Mr. Matsumura was unable to visit the Shoko-san Tree on the day he attended the class, and has not been able to visit since.
At the end of the teaching material, it was written, "While praying that I will be able to see Shoko's tree someday."
Children are the stars of hope
Mr. Nagata faces the children while reflecting on his current situation, which he could not have imagined when the disaster struck.
Mr. Mamoru Nagata
"Children are a source of hope. I hope that the children of the next generation will also learn from this material and become stars of hope."
Even though she was hurt, Nagata was able to look forward by supporting each other.
She says that lately she's finally been able to accept herself.
At the end of her interview, she remarked, "She says she's doing it for her children, but she may be doing it for herself."
Osaka Broadcasting Station Cameraman
Kimihiko Shakono Joined
in 2002 As
a news cameraman, he shoots incidents, accidents, and disasters, as well as interviews and shoots documentaries such as NHK specials.
Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake special website
January 17 marks 28 years since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
We collected images from the time and related program information and articles.