Koutoku Wamura (often misspelled Kotaku Wamura), a ten-term mayor of Fudai, Iwate, Japan, built a -high seawall during the 1970s to protect the village from tsunamis. The village council balked at the size of the wall and the cost, but Wamura persuaded them that it was the only way to protect lives. When the tsunami of 11 March 2011 struck Fudai, the village was left virtually untouched, and residents now visit Wamura's grave to pay their respects.