Noto, hit by earthquake, rain and floods, is striving to protect its cultural heritage

The Noto Peninsula in northern Ishikawa Prefecture was devastated this year (2024) by a major earthquake on New Year's Day, then by record rains that caused floods and landslides in late September. The people of the region are making great efforts to get back on their feet and recover from the ongoing disasters. Some of them, along with supporters with specialized knowledge in history, architecture and other fields, have stood to help restore and preserve the region's cultural heritage.

Noto-gawara roof tiles were collected and reused

Many of the region's traditional houses with Noto-gawara tile roofs were destroyed in the New Year's Day quake, while modern homes built with metal roofs that meet current earthquake resistance standards withstood the shock. Some residents were quick to blame the condition of the traditional houses for the heaviness of Noto Jawara.

Traditional houses in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture. With Noto-gawara roof tiles (Photo taken on September 28, 2024)

However, “traditional houses in Noto sometimes leave some cross supports to make the rooms more spacious,” says Shigeru Ban, 67, a Pritzker Prize-winning architect well known for his disaster relief activities. Perhaps it is a strength calculation “The structure has gone wrong because of this and it's not Noto Gawara's fault.” He worries that if the publicly funded demolition of earthquake-damaged homes continues as it is, “the cityscape of Oku Noto (the northern area of ​​the Noto Peninsula) will end up looking like a nondescript industrial product.”

The Shigeru Ban meeting hall designed by Ban is currently under construction to reuse Noto-gawara assembled near temporary houses (for permanent use) built using laminated timber (DLT). (Courtesy of Shigeru Ban Architects)

In June, the Volunteer Architects Network (VAN), a non-profit organization led by Pan, in collaboration with the city of Suzhou, roof tile layers and demolition contractors, began collecting noto jawara from damaged homes that were getting demolished about twice a month. At the end of September, members of a non-profit organization and student volunteers from the Shibura Institute of Technology in Tokyo worked hard to collect Noto Gawara – the piece weighs about three kilograms – at Honjo-ji Temple in Suzu. They plan to collect about 10,000 kwara in total by late October and reuse them to build a meeting hall near the rocky island of Mitsukijima, a city landmark.

The Ishikawa Prefectural Government has set a goal of demolishing more than 32,000 damaged buildings by October 2025. As of mid-October 2024, it has achieved about 18 percent of its goal. The volume of demolition debris is estimated to reach 3.32 million tons.

According to the Suzu Municipal Government, the kwara industry in the area began to develop during the Meiji Era (1868-1912). Later, due to the housing construction boom during Japan's high economic growth period (1950s-1970s), domestic production rose to about five to six million kawaras. However, about 30 years ago, the last factory in the city stopped producing Noto-Jawara completely, leaving no factory in the entire prefecture.

“Reconstruction symbol” to be

On October 18, 2024, the Cultural Council of the Cultural Affairs Agency recommended that the Soto Sogi-ji Soen School Temple in Wajima, another city in Ishikawa Prefecture, be classified as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Concerned people hope the temple will serve as a “symbol of reconstruction” in the Noto area hit by the earthquake and rain.

Fallen stone lanterns and masonry walls are still visible in the temple buildings. Part of the corridor that served as a channel connecting the various temple buildings has collapsed and is covered with blue cloth.

Some of the stone lanterns and other stonework that fell during the earthquake are still on the ground near the Daisudo (Founders' Hall) in the Sugi-ji Suen Building.

Soji-ji Soen, an offshoot of Soji-ji in Yokohama (one of the two main temples of Soto Zen Buddhism in Japan), was established in 1321. Part of its buildings remain inaccessible after the New Year's Day earthquake, but locally residents continue to Visit the temple to perform their prayers.

Experts come together to 'save' historic resources

After the Noto earthquake, local government officials and cultural property experts at universities and museums in Ishikawa established a network within the prefectures to engage in “cultural heritage rescue” activities to preserve precious historical resources including ancient documents, charts, and photographs.

Experts “rescue” ancient documents in an area affected by the disaster. (Photo courtesy of Ishikawa Historic Resources Preservation Network)

About 20 experts from the network gathered at the Ishikawa Prefectural History Museum in the prefectural capital Kanazawa on October 20, 2024, to sort through the damaged historical resources. A number of ancient documents from the pre-modern and modern era of Japan that were passed down by the ancient Suzu family were placed on the table. The documents, mostly relating to land, finance, the local fishing industry and more, included a diagram of the fisheries of the time. Going through the papers is essential to uncovering the history of industry in Noto.

Although a number of the old houses in Suzhou were inevitably demolished, a few thousand documents and the like were moved to safe places by their owners, and are now kept in the museum. For future use in historical research, the documents are sorted by experts.

Students participate in sorting through ancient documents at the Ishikawa Prefectural History Museum in Kanazawa.

History majors at Kanazawa University and Kanazawa Gakuin University are participating in the screening process. “It is a valuable opportunity for students to be able to handle actual documents,” Kanazawa Gakuin University. said Professor Toshihiko Honda, who specializes in the history of medieval and pre-modern Japan and heads the network. “A lot of them are joining to do something for Noto.”

Network members go to different parts of Noto and continue their efforts, working together with the Cultural Heritage Disaster Risk Management Center, a specialized agency of the Japanese government, to “rescue” cultural assets affected by disasters. In disaster areas, historical resources are often buried under collapsed buildings, or left in warehouses and basements.

Moving forward to reopen the theater

Famous 91-year-old actor Tatsuya Nakadai, who leads the acting troupe Momi-Joku (School of Unknowns), is said to have liked the atmosphere. This led to the founding of the Noto Engikido Theater in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, in 1995. The theatre, dedicated to theatrical performances and supervised by Nakadai himself, has since become a landmark in the city.

The Noto Engikido Theater in Nanao is undergoing repairs after the earthquake. (Photo taken by Kota Kiriyama on October 17, 2024)

The theater also suffered damage from the earthquake. The stage mechanisms controlling stage lights and other instruments malfunctioned, and the parking lot was affected. The next day, on January 2, stage lights were found hanging from the ceiling, and the weight of the stage (10 kg each) was strewn on the stage floor. The stage's sliding back wall screw was bent.

Repair work to the theater was completed in October 2024, but inspection of the integrity of the roof above audience seating is ongoing.

Jomon cabin reconstructed intact

Museums and cultural facilities that talk about Noto's history and nature are also among the buildings damaged by the earthquake.

A reconstructed Jomon-period cabin at the Mwaki site in Noto withstood the shock of the earthquake.

Mawaki is one of the largest archaeological sites displaying the remains of a Jomon period settlement in the Hokuriku region surrounding the peninsula. Some ancient pottery kept in the warehouse of the Jomon Archaeological Museum at the site was broken in the quake, and part of the road leading to the museum collapsed after heavy rains in September.

Somehow, the Jomon cabin reconstructed based on the results of excavations at the site withstood the shock.

Fans support Osaki Paint Tools

Noshia Corporation, producers and sellers of Wajima-nuri coating tools, was also severely affected by the New Year's Day earthquake.

The Osaki lacquerware shop in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, a traditional Nushia house registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan (registered name: the main house of the Osaki family residence), was completely destroyed. Hoping for a speedy recovery, the store's fans and customers are busy selling the store's merchandise.

Osaki Lacquerware Shop fans gather in a workshop-turned-old folk house in Kitakamakura to sell the shop's wares.

On October 19, 2024, paint tools of different shapes and colors from Osaki Paint Utensil Shop were on display in a workshop turned old folk house in the remote Kitakamakura area (an area near Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture). The store's merchandise was sold by a group of fans who came together after the earthquake to support the store.

(From Yomiuri Shimbun and other sources)

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos