:Rikuzentakata, Iwate

Rikuzentakata is located in the far southeast corner of Iwate Prefecture, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east. The city contained Lake Furukawanuma until the 2011 tsunami destroyed it. Parts of the coastal area of the city are within the borders of the Sanriku Fukkō National Park.

Iwate Prefecture

• Ichinoseki
• Ōfunato
• Sumita

Miyagi Prefecture

• Kesennuma

Rikuzentakata has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) bordering on an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) with warm summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature is {{Convert|11.1|C|F}}. The average annual rainfall is {{Convert|1343|mm|in}}, with September as the wettest month and January as the driest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around {{Convert|23.7|C|F}}, and lowest in January, at around {{Convert|0.0|C|F}}.{{cite web|url=https://en.climate-data.org/location/5140/|title=Climate Rikuzen Takata: Temperature, Climograph, Climate table for Rikuzen Takata - Climate-Data.org|website=en.climate-data.org}}

{{Weather box

|width=auto

|collapsed = Y

|single line = Y

|metric first = Y

|location = Rikuzentakata (2011−2020 normals, extremes 2011−present)

|Jan record high C = 12.8

|Feb record high C = 17.6

|Mar record high C = 23.5

|Apr record high C = 29.4

|May record high C = 34.4

|Jun record high C = 32.8

|Jul record high C = 36.8

|Aug record high C = 36.0

|Sep record high C = 32.2

|Oct record high C = 28.0

|Nov record high C = 21.4

|Dec record high C = 18.5

|Jan high C = 4.2

|Feb high C = 5.2

|Mar high C = 9.9

|Apr high C = 14.6

|May high C = 20.1

|Jun high C = 22.4

|Jul high C = 25.9

|Aug high C = 27.9

|Sep high C = 24.9

|Oct high C = 19.2

|Nov high C = 13.2

|Dec high C = 6.7

|Jan mean C = 0.4

|Feb mean C = 0.8

|Mar mean C = 4.7

|Apr mean C = 9.3

|May mean C = 14.8

|Jun mean C = 18.0

|Jul mean C = 21.9

|Aug mean C = 23.7

|Sep mean C = 20.3

|Oct mean C = 14.2

|Nov mean C = 8.1

|Dec mean C = 2.6

|Jan low C = -3.0

|Feb low C = -3.0

|Mar low C = 0.1

|Apr low C = 4.4

|May low C = 10.2

|Jun low C = 14.5

|Jul low C = 19.0

|Aug low C = 20.6

|Sep low C = 16.7

|Oct low C = 9.8

|Nov low C = 3.7

|Dec low C = -0.9

|Jan record low C = -10.6

|Feb record low C = -11.0

|Mar record low C = -5.6

|Apr record low C = -3.0

|May record low C = 0.7

|Jun record low C = 7.2

|Jul record low C = 14.3

|Aug record low C = 12.7

|Sep record low C = 7.4

|Oct record low C = 1.5

|Nov record low C = -3.2

|Dec record low C = -6.2

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 33.3

|Feb precipitation mm = 34.3

|Mar precipitation mm = 98.2

|Apr precipitation mm = 123.7

|May precipitation mm = 113.3

|Jun precipitation mm = 137.9

|Jul precipitation mm = 170.5

|Aug precipitation mm = 167.1

|Sep precipitation mm = 180.3

|Oct precipitation mm = 161.0

|Nov precipitation mm = 69.1

|Dec precipitation mm = 51.5

|year precipitation mm = 1350.9

| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 4.8

|Feb precipitation days = 5.4

|Mar precipitation days = 7.0

|Apr precipitation days = 8.3

|May precipitation days = 9.2

|Jun precipitation days = 10.2

|Jul precipitation days = 12.6

|Aug precipitation days = 12.6

|Sep precipitation days = 11.1

|Oct precipitation days = 8.7

|Nov precipitation days = 6.4

|Dec precipitation days = 6.6

|source 1 = JMA{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_a.php?prec_no=33&block_no=1629&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = February 25, 2022}}{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_amd_ym.php?prec_no=33&block_no=1629&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = February 25, 2022}}}}

Per Japanese census data,{{cite web|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-iwate.php|title=Iwate / 岩手県 (Japan): Prefecture, Cities, Towns and Villages - Population Statistics, Charts and Map|website=www.citypopulation.de}} the population of Rikuzentakata peaked in the 1950s and has declined steadily over the past 70 years.

{{Historical populations

| 1920 | 20,773

| 1930 | 24,494

| 1940 | 26,222

| 1950 | 32,609

| 1960 | 31,839

| 1970 | 30,308

| 1980 | 29,356

| 1990 | 27,242

| 2000 | 25,676

| 2010 | 23,302

| 2020 | 18,262

|align = none

| footnote =

}}

The area of present-day Rikuzentakata was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the Jōmon period. The area was inhabited by the Emishi people, and came under the control of the imperial dynasty during the early Heian period. During the Sengoku period, the area was dominated by various samurai clans before coming under the control of the Date clan during the Edo period, who ruled Sendai Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate.

The towns of Kesen and Takata were established within Kesen District on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipality system. The area was devastated by the 1896 Sanriku earthquake and the 1933 Sanriku earthquake. Kesen and Takata merged with the neighboring town of Hirota and villages of Otomo, Takekoma, Yokota and Yonezaki on January 1, 1955 to form the city of Rikuzentakata.

Rikuzentakata was almost completely destroyed by the tsunami following the Tōhoku earthquake. According to the police, every building smaller than three stories high was completely flooded,[http://www.rtl.nl/(/actueel/rtlnieuws/buitenland/)/components/actueel/rtlnieuws/2011/03_maart/12/buitenland/honderden-doden-in-japanse-kuststad.xml "Honderden doden in Japanse kuststad (Hundreds dead in Japanese coastal town)" (in Dutch)]. www.rtlnieuws.nl, Retrieved 12 March 2011 with buildings bigger than three stories high being flooded partially, one of the buildings being the city hall, where the water also reached as high as the third floor.Kyodo News, "Deaths, people missing set to top 1,600: Edano", Japan Times, 13 March 2011. The Japan Self-Defense Forces initially reported that between 300 and 400 bodies were found in the town.{{cite web |url=http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Japanarmysays300-400bodiesfoundinRikuzentakata_Report/Article/ |title=Japan army says 300-400 bodies found in Rikuzentakata: Report |access-date=March 13, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110407005107/http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Japanarmysays300-400bodiesfoundinRikuzentakata_Report/Article/ |archive-date=April 7, 2011 }} Japan army says 300-400 bodies found in Rikuzentakata: Report

On 14 March, an illustrated BBC report showed a picture of the town, describing it as "almost completely flattened."{{Cite news |date=2011-03-14 |title=Japan earthquake: In pictures |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12729784 |access-date=2025-01-30 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}} The town's tsunami shelters were designed for a wave of {{convert|3|to|4|m|ft|spell=in}} in height, but the tsunami of March 2011 created a wave {{Convert|13|m|ft}} high which inundated the designated safe locations.{{Cite web |title=NHK WORLD English |url=http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/28_04.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20120101020741/http://www3.nhk.or.jp:80/daily/english/28_04.html |archive-date=2012-01-01 |access-date=2025-01-30 |website=www3.nhk.or.jp |language=en}} Local officials estimated that 20% to 40% of the town's population has been killed.Tsunami preparation leads citizens into low-lying death traps.https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/asia-pacific/tsunami-preparation-leads-citizens-into-low-lying-death-traps/article1943381/ Although the town was prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis and had a {{convert|6.5|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} seawall, it was not enough and more than 80% of 8,000 houses were swept away.{{Cite web |title=Blog Archives |url=https://shelterbox.org/category/blog/ |access-date=2025-01-30 |website=ShelterBox |language=en}}

A BBC film dated 20 March reported that the harbour gates of the town failed to shut as the tsunami approached, and that 45 young firemen were swept away while attempting to close them manually. The same film reported that 500 bodies had been recovered in the town, but that 10,000 people were still unaccounted-for out of a population of 26,000.{{Cite news |title=Tsunami floodgate 'did not work' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-pacific-12801085 |access-date=2025-01-30 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}} As of 3 April 2011, 1,000 people from the town were confirmed dead with 1,300 still missing.Ito, Shingo (Agence France-Presse/Jiji Press), "Iwate pine that withstood the wage now symbol of hope", Japan Times, 3 April 2011, p. 3. In late May 2011, an Australian reporter interviewed a surviving volunteer firefighter who said 49 firefighters were killed in Rikuzentakata by the tsunami, among 284 firefighters known to have died along the affected coast, many while closing the doors of the tsunami barriers along the seashore.[https://web.archive.org/web/20110603141842/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/05/31/3231710.htm?section=justin Video shows terror as killer waves hit], Mark Willacy, ABC News Online, 31 May 2011

Sixty-eight city officials, about one-third of the city's municipal employees, were killed. The town's mayor at the time, Futoshi Toba, was at his post at the city hall and survived, but his wife was killed at their seaside home.Agence France-Presse/Jiji Press, "Mayor perseveres amid his loss", Japan Times, 13 April 2011, p. 3. Toba's two children were at school and survived. The wave severely damaged the artifact and botanical collection at the city's museum and killed all six staff.{{cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/06/08/national/tsunami-struck-museum-starts-recovering-collection/|title=Tsunami-struck museum starts recovering collection|first=Edan|last=Corkill|date=8 June 2011|via=Japan Times Online}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nippon.com/en/currents/d00168/|title=After the Tsunami: Rescuing Relics of Rikuzentakata's History and Culture|date=11 March 2015|website=nippon.com}} The final death toll was 1,656 killed and 223 missing and presumed dead. Portions of the city subsided by over a meter.

As a countermeasure against future tsunami, Rikuzentakata's city centre was elevated upon rock fill in a megaproject. In 2014, a massive conveyor belt system was being used to carry rock from a hill across the Kesen River from the city centre. The conveyor belt system featured a long suspension span that crossed the Kesen River, and was named the "Bridge of Hope." The project elevated the city centre by more than {{Convert|10|m|ft}}.[http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5038.html], "Sanriku Coast Travel", Japan Guide, 27 August 2014.

Currently a new marketplace and community center has been established upon one such elevated plot of land, and work is ongoing to create a new street grid. In addition, new bridges are being established across the Kesen River, including an extension and bypass for the Sanriku Expressway and Japan National Route 45. The location of the rock quarry for the reconstruction megaproject is being developed as a new neighborhood.

Rikuzentakata has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 18 members. Rikuzentaka, together with the town of Sumita together contributes one seat to the Iwate Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Iwate 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

The local economy of Rikuzentakata is based heavily on commercial fishing and food processing. As of 2011, oyster farming produced ¥40 million in annual sales for the city.Matsuyama, Kanoko, and Stuart Biggs, (Bloomberg L.P.), "Tsunami - insult to injury", Japan Times, 30 April 2011, p. 3.

Rikuzentakata has eight public elementary schools and two public junior high schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Iwate Prefectural Board of Education.{{cite web|url=http://www.city.rikuzentakata.iwate.jp/kategorie/kyouiku-sports/school/gakkou-ichiran/gakkou-ichiran.html|title=小・中学校一覧|website=www.city.rikuzentakata.iwate.jp}}{{cite web|url=http://www.edu.city-rikuzentakata.iwate.jp/kesen-c/index.php|title=陸前高田市立気仙中学校|website=www.edu.city-rikuzentakata.iwate.jp}} There is also one private high school.

22px East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Ōfunato Line (services suspended indefinitely and replaced by a BRT)

• {{STN|Rikuzen-Yahagi|x}} - {{STN|Takekoma|x}} - {{STN|Rikuzen-Takata|x}} - {{STN|Wakinosawa|x}} - {{STN|Otomo|x}}

• {{jct|country=JPN|Exp|E45|dab1=S}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|45}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|340}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|343}}

File:Collapsed Rikuzentakata Youth Hostel and a Pine Tree of Hope.jpg

{{nihongo|Takata-matsubara|高田松原}} was a two-kilometre stretch of shoreline that was lined with approximately seventy thousand pines. In 1927 it was selected as one of the 100 Landscapes of Japan (Shōwa era) and in 1940 it was designated a Place of Scenic Beauty.{{cite web |url=http://www.env.go.jp/nature/ari_kata/shiryou/031208-4-3.pdf |title=日本八景(昭和2年)の選定内容 |publisher=Ministry of the Environment |access-date=17 March 2011}}{{cite web |url=https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/401/149 |title=Database of Nationally-Designated Cultural Properties etc |publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs |access-date=5 May 2011}} After the 2011 tsunami a single, ten-metre, two-hundred-year-old tree remained from the forest. Due to land subsidence and coastal erosion this was only five metres from the sea and was at threat from increased salinity. The Association for the Protection of Takata-Matsubara along with the municipal and prefectural governments took measures, including the erection of barriers, to protect the surviving pine.{{cite news |url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110417002437.htm |author=Asami, Toru |title=Battle to protect sole surviving pine tree |work=Daily Yomiuri |date=18 April 2011 |access-date=5 May 2011}}

As of September 2011, there were signs that these measures had failed, and that the tree was dead due to salt water poisoning.{{cite web|last=YAMANISHI|first=ATSUSHI|title=Lone pine tree that is symbol of hope in disaster area fights for survival|url=http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201109130349.html|work=Asahi Shimbun |date=14 September 2011 |access-date=21 September 2011}} In September 2012, the tree was felled for preservation and replaced in 2013 with an artificial "commemorative tree".{{cite web|title=Rikuzentakata's lone pine tree to return as symbol of remembrance of 3/11|url=http://ajw.asahi.com/article/views/vox/AJ201209130067|work=Asahi Shimbun|date=13 September 2012|access-date=22 October 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019234427/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/views/vox/AJ201209130067|archive-date=19 October 2012}}

• Naoya Hatakeyama, photographer
• Toru Kikawada, politician
• Hiroaki Murakami, actor
• Rōki Sasaki, baseball player

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Japan}}

Rikuzentakata is twinned with:{{cite web |title=December 17, 2018 Council Agenda|url=https://www.crescentcity.org/media/Agendas/2019/January%207th%202019.pdf|website=crescentcity.org|publisher=City of Crescent City|pages=6–7 (10–11)|date=2018-12-17|access-date=2021-08-08}}

• {{flagicon|USA}} Crescent City, United States (2018)

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category-inline}}

• [http://www.city.rikuzentakata.iwate.jp/ Official Website] {{in lang|ja}}
• [http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=49684 Before-and-after thermal satellite images from NASA]
• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-pacific-12801085/tsunami-floodgate-did-not-work BBC report on the failure of the Rikuzentakata floodgates]

{{Iwate}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cities in Iwate Prefecture

Category:Populated coastal places in Japan