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Depicting Disasters and Local Communities Through Historical Sources

My research focuses on disasters and local communities from the early modern to the modern period in Japan. My previous research has examined various aspects of early modern disasters in northern Tohoku, including the impacts of and responses to the Kanpō tsunami (1741), the Meiwa Tsugaru Earthquake (1766), and the eruption of Mt. Iwaki (1856). I am currently interested in how forms of community emerge during and after disasters. By expanding my research area from northern to southern Tohoku, I aim to construct a comprehensive disaster history of the Tohoku region. I also examine the preservation and transmission of historical records in relation to disasters and am actively involved in archival network activities. Through this research, I seek to develop a holistic understanding of disasters and local communities from a historical perspective.

Section on the 1741 Kanpō tsunami from Hokkaidō Kyūsan Zue (Illustrated Record of Old Hokkaido) (Collection of Hakodate City Central Library)

Estimated inundation points and wave heights of the Kanpō tsunami based on Hokkaidō Kyūsan Zue

Principal areas of interest

• A Social History of Disasters in Early Modern and Modern Tohoku
• Disaster Response, Relief, and Charity in Modern Japan
• Community Formation in Historical Materials Preservation