Winter School on Disasters and Memory (2024/2/26 - 3/2)
Theme: Compound Disasters, Nuclear Disaster, Recovery, Collective and Cultural Memory, Student Workshop
Venue: IRIDeS, Sendai, Ishinomaki, Minamisanriku, Kesennuma, Futaba, Namie, Tomioka, Iwaki

The Kataribe World Network (KWN), Assistant Prof. Anna Wiemann of Ludwig Maximilian Universityof Munich (LMU), and IRIDeS Associate Professors Julia Gerster (Disaster Culture and ArchiveStudies) and Liz Maly (International Research Collaboration Office) co-organized a winter school ondisaster memory. In total eleven participants, including four students from LMU, traveled across Miyagi
and Fukushima Prefecture to learn from people and places affected by the Great East Japan
Earthquake and their role in disaster memory transmission.
The Winter School on Disaster and Memory commenced on Feb. 26th with a workshop organized byIRIDeS and joined by Yamagata University and Leibniz University Hannover as part of their separate
winter school. The session featured presentations by IRIDeS faculty aimed at preparing theparticipants for their field research and introducing them to current academic discussions connectedto the Great East Japan Earthquake, recovery and memory. The workshop ended with the students
presenting their findings from a group work on disaster perceptions. About 60 people from various
universities joined the workshop.
The second day of the Winter School program began with a visit to the designated disaster heritagesite Kadonowaki Elementary School in Ishinomaki, where the group engaged in discussions withdirector Richard Halberstadt, gaining insights into the recovery of Ishinomaki City and the backgroundof turning the school into a memorial. Afterward, the participants proceeded to the NEWSee museum,learning about the “wall newspaper” (kabe shinbun) that was handwritten every day on large sheetsof paper and distributed to the shelters to ensure access to correct information in the direct aftermathof the disaster. At Okawa Elementary School, where 74 children and 10 teachers died in the tsunami,
the group learned about the failed evacuation practices and different attempts at negative heritage
preservation. The day ended at Hotel Kanyo in Minamisanriku, which served as a shelter for tsunami
survivors in 2011.
On Feb. 28, participants joined the hotel's Kataribe Bus, offering insights into local disaster response
and personal accounts of Mr. Shun Ito. The day included visits to KWN president Kazuma Goto'shouse, where he shared his experiences and insights into local culture as a kataribe. In the afternoon,
the group learned about the influence of repeating disasters on local culture through a Kataribe andKiriko experience with Mayumi Kudo, enriching participants' understanding of traditional rituals andcommunity resilience. After a guided tour through the memorial park, the group headed to Kesennuma.
In the evening, participants joined a workshop on gender and disaster and young people’s perceptions
facilitated by KWN members Chiharu Yoshida and Shun Ito.
Feb. 29 began with a visit to the Rias Ark Museum for an observation of the permanent exhibition on
disaster-affected objects. Participants then proceeded to the Koyo Highschool Memorial Museum fora guided tour by the young kataribe Ms. Sato, and discussions with Kenichi Sato, former Director andcity officer, responsible for designating evacuation sites before the 3.11 disaster. The lively discussion
among the group focused on adapting evacuation measures and how to prepare for disasters that
may go beyond the expected (soteigai).
From March 1st, the tour continued in Fukushima Prefecture. Participants departed for the GEJE andNuclear Disaster Museum for an observation of the exhibition, gaining critical insights into the impactsof nuclear disasters on communities and the environment. In Namie Town, the group witnessed a(continues to the next page)Kamishibai performance by members of the Tsutaetai project, offering a cultural experience intertwinedwith discussions on disaster memory. The afternoon included a Kataribe guided tour through Tomioka,
just recently released from the exclusion zone. The group got to see examples of recovery, such as
newly opened shops or the Tomioka winery, as well as the challenges faced by communities in thecoastal areas of Fukushima, such as depopulation and remaining issues regarding decontamination.
The final day of the Winter School program featured a visit to the Kataritsugi Event in Iwaki City,organized by IRIDeS Michinoku Shinrokuden. This year’s event featured seven short stories based on
survivor narratives. The stories were read by Keiko Takeshita on stage accompanied by music. Further,a handmade kamishibai on disaster preparedness was performed by students of Iwaki Tanki University.
The Winter School concluded with a farewell dinner, offering participants an opportunity to celebrate
their shared experiences.
Overall, the Winter School on Disaster and Memory provided a platform for interdisciplinary learning,collaboration, and reflection, highlighting the importance of memory in understanding and addressing
the complexities of disaster management and recovery.

Kamishibai performance in Namie Town

Guided Tour at Kadonowaki Elementary School

Walk through the Minamisanriku
Recovery Park

Kataribe and Kiriko Experience

Text and photos:Julia Gerster (Disaster Culture and Archive Studies)
Elizabeth Maly (International Research Collaboration Office)