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A fishing boat which was carried several hundred meters inland by the March 11, 2011 tsunami in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, will finally be taken apart and removed.
The 330-ton Kyotoku Maru No. 18 has remained where the tsunami left it for two years, becoming a sort of symbol of the destruction. There was much debate over whether to leave the vessel where it was as a monument, but Kesennuma Mayor Shigeru Sugawara and the boat's owners announced Monday that it should be removed because it was hindering the city's reconstruction, Sankei Shimbun reported.
Dismantling work will begin in early April.
Sugawara said he initially asked Katsuyuki Yanauchi, the CEO of the fisheries company that owns the Kyotoku Maru, to wait six more months so he could ask the city's residents what they wanted to do with the boat, but Yanauchi was quoted as saying that his company wanted to get rid of the vessel.
© Japan Today
19 Comments
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Magnet
I think they should leave it there. It's become quite an icon of what happened in Kesennuma. They should have it preserved.
Get Real
The fishing boat would be a great tourist attraction and a reminder of the sheer force of nature. Why airbrush it out of history?
Mirai Hayashi
I agree, they should leave it there and make it a landmark or a memorial to all of the tsunami victims.
Tokiyo
They are keeping a tree over this? This is by far a more harkening reminder of 3/11
SauloJpn
Can't it become a museum? I would go!!!
paulinusa
Sorry, I don't think you need this boat as a symbol or monument to remind everyone, now or in the future, of that horrible day. Just because some obvious examples of damage still exist doesn't mean they have to be preserved. There should be other ways to remember.
Disillusioned
Do people really need to be reminded of the destruction? I'm quite sure the people who lived through the tsunami will never forget it and don't need anything to remind them of what happened. Get rid of it!
moomoochoo
This isn't just a reminder for the folks who endured the tsunami, it is a reminder for those who will come later (aka next generation). You might think it will never happen again, but history has a tendency of repeating itself over and over again.
sf2k
That's too bad, I also like it there and how reconstruction was occurring all around it. It reminded me of Macross. Given its size it would always be a stark reminder to any politician who thinks of reducing tsunami preparations be they local officials or nuclear power shills
sf2k
The fishing industry was decimated. This needs to be a memorial to a once thriving industry and a museum and reminder of the event is something that later generations will need to physically appreciate and cannot just by reading about it.
Wakarimasen
Should be left there as a permanent memorial. Better than the tree
papigiulio
This! They friggin spend a million yen making a replica of a tree that died but a great relic like this they have the disrespect by just taking it apart. priorities mixed up.
Heda_Madness
Who is 'they'
The people of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture are working on preserving a tree. The mayor of Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture has decided with the boats owners to not preserve this ship. Different people. Different locations. Different.
Disillusioned
So, did all you people that want it to stay miss the part in the article where they state it is hindering reconstruction efforts?
taj
Who is "they. Ah you beat me to it, Heda! People getting communities mixed up.
This ship is a sign of the destruction. The tree was seen by the locals, as a sign of perseverance. Different.
As for this ship, I always drive past. I will miss it. I'm not haunted by it. I would be happy to see it kept, but, ....
For me, the city I know best and neighborhood I worked in, also had an iconic ship in a bizarre place far inland up a stream, it was a shock to one day see machines going at it and tearing it apart. Then awithin a week, it was gone. Returning friends were shocked. We expected to be sad, or to somehow miss seeing it, but what really happened, was finally you could see the repaired house behind it again. And you felt, wow, things are really moving along the way to recovery. It feels so much more like a community, rather than a disaster area.
GW
Huge mistake taking it apart.
As for being in the way of re-construction...................please that is just stupid
CrisGerSan
Since it is their town i respect their decision. It is rather silly to object. It is their town and their future.
The fishing industry will come back, it takes time. Took time to build it up in the first place. Nature happens. Man perserveres. All will be well.
Mirai Hayashi
@CrisGerSan
I don't think its the town. Ultimately I think it comes down to two factors: The owner of the boat is probably responsible for it and it does still pose environmental problems (fuel onboard -if any, stability issues -will it topple over if another earthquake hits, etc.) Furthermore, I don't think any insurance companies would insure it unless there were some serious reinforcements and renovations done.
Second factor is the land owner(s) probably don't want a big ship on it unless there was a way to get paid for it, either a government purchase or they make money from whatever it becomes (museum, landmark, memorial, etc)
Kobuta Chan
Make it restaurant.