About Hyakusei no Ando

Eternal Relief - Heritage of Disaster Prevention Through the Memories of Tsunami and Recovery in Hirogawa

Hyakusei no Ando (“Eternal Relief”) is a Japan Heritage whose stories are involved with the culture of disaster prevention in the Hirogawa Town, Wakayama Prefecture. These stories include Inamura no Hi, an anecdote about Hamaguchi Goryo that was born from the Nankai Earthquake, which struck in the first year of the Ansei era (1854), and the Tsunami festival, a traditional festival begun in the 36th year of the Meiji era (1903), about 50 years later, for the purpose of remembering the victims and rekindling awareness of the need to prepare for and prevent disasters. Hyakusei no Ando consists of 26 structures, festivals, and other elements that have been passed down through the generations in the area.

About Japan Heritage

Japan Heritage is a program under which the Agency for Cultural Affairs certifies stories about Japanese culture and tradition based on unique local histories and traditions. The Agency aims to revitalize local communities through comprehensive maintenance and utilization of the various cultural properties that are indispensable parts of these stories, and publicity about their existence both inside and outside Japan.

STORY OUTLINES

  • STORY 01

    Inamura no Hi (Fire of Rice Sheaves)

    On November 5 in the first year of the Ansei era (1854), a huge earthquake set in motion a tsunami that headed for the Hiromura village (the present-day Hirogawa Town) at night. Realizing that a tsunami was on the way, Hamaguchi Goryo set fire to rice sheaves in fields to provide light for people fleeing to temples and shrines on higher ground, and thereby saved many lives.

    Constituent cultural property: rice sheaves

  • STORY 02

    Toward recovery in the village

    The people affected by the earthquake and tsunami were considering relocation out of concern about their life and disasters in the future. In response, Goryo prepared a plan for building a seawall at his own expense and paid wages to villagers who worked on it. He also supported industry and education, and otherwise strove for the village’s recovery and advancement.

    Constituent cultural property: the townscape of the Hiro district

  • STORY 03

    A town where disaster prevention is alive

    Oomichi road which people took to flee from the tsunami in the Ansei era is the main route for evacuation in Hirogawa Town, and Hiro Hachiman-jinja Shirine, which was the evacuation site then, still plays that role today. The seawall built by Goryo prevented the influx of a tsunami and protected the town when an earthquake struck in the 21st year of the Showa era (1946).

    Constituent cultural property: Hiromura Seawall

  • STORY 04

    Transmission of disaster-prevention awareness

    People continue to pass on the alarms sounded by their ancestors in the form of a Matsuri (festival) that is a vital part of life in the town. In shrines and on dikes, they built monuments inscribed with words of preparedness for tsunami and gratitude to their ancestors. A disaster-prevention heritage and culture looking 100 years into the future is still being carried on in the Hirogawa Town.

    Tsunami Matsuri (festival) (banking)

CONSTITUENT CULTURAL PROPERTIES

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