The Oshika Peninsula & The 2011 Tsunami

The Oshika Peninsula

The Oshika Peninsula is southeast of Ishinomaki, Japan and is a rugged area with many harbors and inlets that have been the home for fishing villages for many generations. Most of these villages fronted directly on the harbors. My father, George Butler, visited several of these villages in 1951 and photographed the people and the scenery of the area. Two villages that we visited were Tsukinoura and Kobuchi Harbor. Both areas were hit hard in 2011. In October of 2019, we visited Kobuchi Harbor, where massive concrete seawalls were being constructed on the waterfront. I both cases housing was being moved to higher ground, away from potential future inundation. What was most difficult to see was how the intimate connection with the sea, that had been present for generations, was being eradicated. Inundation in this area ranged from 8.8m to 25.8m (29 to 85 feet). In the nearby city of Ishinomaki seawalls had been constructed to protect from a 7.0 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunmai. The 2011 earthquake was a magnitude 9.0 and overtopped the protective seawalls.