World Tsunami Awareness Day

What Is World Tsunami Awareness Day?

World Tsunami Awareness Day is an international day set for November 5th each year by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2015. Japan and 141 other countries co-sponsored the resolution, and it was adopted unanimously. Its aim is to raise awareness of tsunami risk worldwide and encourage preparedness. The date comes from the story of "Inamura no Hi" ("The Fire of Rice Sheaves"), the account of a man who saved villagers from the tsunami after the Ansei Nankai earthquake of 1854. In Japan, a 2011 law prompted by the Great East Japan Earthquake also makes November 5th "Tsunami Disaster Prevention Day." A 2017 amendment to the law added a provision on promoting international cooperation, reflecting the UN's designation of November 5th as World Tsunami Awareness Day.

The Real Events and the Story of "Inamura no Hi"

On the night of the fifth day of the eleventh month of Ansei 1 (December 24th, 1854 in the modern calendar), a tsunami from the Ansei Nankai earthquake struck the village of Hiromura in Kii Province, now Hirogawa Town in Wakayama. Goryo Hamaguchi, head of a soy sauce-making family, is said to have set fire to a pile of straw in his field after the tsunami arrived, lighting a path to higher ground for villagers in the dark. "November 5th" is the date in the old lunar calendar. Goryo also thought about his village's safety for the long term; he is said to have spoken of securing "peace of mind for a hundred generations."

• History:Goryo was a 35-year-old merchant, not a village headman. More than 90 percent of the villagers survived, and 30 died, according to accounts
• The story:Lafcadio Hearn introduced it in English in 1896 as "A Living God." Tsunezo Nakai rewrote it for children as "Inamura no Hi," which appeared in national Japanese language textbooks from 1937 to 1947. In the tale, Gohei is an old headman living on high ground who foresees the tsunami and sets the fire; the real Goryo lit it after the tsunami had arrived
• The embankment:After the tsunami, Goryo spent about four years building the Hiromura seawall, paying 4,665 ryo from his own funds. Eighty-eight years after its completion, it reduced damage in the 1946 Showa Nankai earthquake tsunami

Memory Kept Alive in Hirogawa

Hirogawa has a museum called "Inamura no Hi no Yakata," made up of the Goryo Hamaguchi Memorial Museum and a Tsunami Disaster Prevention Education Center, where visitors can learn about his work and about tsunami safety. A "Tsunami Festival" is also held each November to pass on the memory of the disaster and the importance of preparation.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Check the evacuation routes and assembly points at your workplace again. If you are in a tsunami-prone area, look up higher ground as well
• Look at your local government's hazard map for the tsunami inundation forecast around your office and home. If a business trip or vacation takes you to the coast, check the evacuation sites there too
• The Japan Meteorological Agency urges people who feel strong shaking, or long, slow shaking, near the sea to go to high ground without waiting for a warning. Keep this in mind
• Agree on a meeting place and a way to contact family. Tsunamis strike repeatedly, so do not return until the warning is lifted

Passing It On Is Part of Preparing

A tsunami is a phenomenon in which seawater surges in and pulls back over minutes to tens of minutes, again and again. Damage continues worldwide: the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed more than 227,000 people. In the Great East Japan Earthquake, more than 18,000 people were dead or missing. World Tsunami Awareness Day exists to keep passing on the lesson that quick evacuation saves lives, alongside the story of Goryo Hamaguchi. The day came about through Japan's call for international cooperation on tsunami measures, and reviewing your own preparations is a good first step.