Japan 2023

Japan 2022

Ishinomaki – Okawa Elementary School (March 2012)At the time of the earthquake on March 11, 2011, my husband and I were in Akita on Tohoku’s west coast visiting his family. Due to the widespread power outage, news from the affected areas reached us only sporadically and little by little. We were deeply concerned about two friends who were in the coastal region. Both survived the event. However, one of these friends was directly caught by the tsunami as it surged up the Kitakami River and was swept away. We did not learn of his rescue until weeks after our return to Germany. One year later, in March 2012, we visited the Okawa Elementary School memorial together with this specific friend. The photographs shown here were taken during this visit and have remained unpublished until now. Observations of the Landscape (March 2012) One year after the tsunami, the region is characterized by vast, empty plains where residential neighborhoods once stood. The reconstruction effort is physically present through a high frequency of trucks and the removal of debris. Ruins are scarce; most have been cleared. Signs of destruction are often subtle: dented guardrails or cracks in the asphalt that blend almost organically into the environment. Okawa Elementary School Founded in 1873, the school was located approximately 5 km from the coast. Although the sea was not visible from the site, the Kitakami River was only a few hundred meters away. The tsunami pushed a wall of water up the river channel. Of the 108 students, 74 perished; 10 of the 11 teachers present also lost their lives. Following the earthquake, teachers and students remained on the playground for approximately 50 minutes. Instead of evacuating to the forested hill directly behind the school, the decision was made to move toward a traffic bridge near the river. The school remains today as a memorial. The tragedy led to a landmark court ruling in which the City of Ishinomaki and Miyagi Prefecture were held liable. It was the first time a court found a school responsible for a lack of preparedness, even though the building sat outside the official tsunami hazard zone at the time. The preservation of the ruins remains a controversial subject: As a memorial, it documents the fatal failure of institutional decision-makers and serves as a crucial tool for future disaster prevention. For the bereaved families, the sight of the ruins represents a permanent confrontation with trauma. Furthermore, the focus on institutional failure may overshadow the functional reconstruction and the community's progress. The images from the school and surrounding capture the architectural remains: deformed concrete pillars, empty classrooms with chalkboards, and a painted exterior wall featuring children's motifs—a sharp contrast to the surrounding destruction. Scattered personal items, such as shoes found in the outdoor area, serve as silent evidence of the event.

OKAWA

DIARY

A look behind the curtain: Frauke Fischer's diary shares set moments, personal projects and the stories behind the images. Beauty has no age – and no limits.

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