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The Great East Japan Earthquake and cultural heritage: towards an archaeology of disaster
- Katsuyuki Okamura, Atsushi Fujisawa, Yasuhisa Kondo, Yu Fujimoto, Tomokatsu Uozu, Yumiko Ogawa, Simon Kaner, Koji Mizoguchi
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The earthquake that struck Japan on 11 March 2011, named the Great East Japan Earthquake by the Japanese government, was one of the largest seismic events the world has seen for generations. Akira Matsui reported his experience of visiting the areas devastated by the earthquake and tsunami soon afterwards, outlining the initial assessment of damage caused to museums and cultural heritage assets, and the plans for their rescue (Kaner et a/ 2011; Matsui 201 I a). The present contribution reports how far the implementation of these plans has been successful, the prospects for the future, and situates all of this in a broader context of archaeological response to earthquakes.
A Union of Dispersed Knowledge and People: Achievements of Archaeo-GIS Workshop 2007–10
- Edited by Mingquan Zhou
- Iza Romanowska, Zhongke Wu, Pengfei Xu, Philip Verhagen
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- Book:
- Revive the Past
- Published by:
- Amsterdam University Press
- Published online:
- 23 June 2021
- Print publication:
- 17 August 2012, pp 334-342
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Summary
Abstract:
Since the introduction of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) into archaeology in the 1980s, most of the problems that archaeologists encountered in the course of utilising the geospatial technologies had not been explained anywhere and thus had to be resolved only through a redundant process of trial and error. In order to share knowledge and experience on GIS applications to archaeology, a self-motivated group of Japanese researchers inaugurated an online-based academic forum, Archaeo-GIS Workshop (AGW), in 2007. This paper reviews concepts and activities of the AGW in the past three years and then discusses current agendas and future tasks. The AGW employs two complementary communication channels: online social networking services and offline hands-on workshops. The administration and operation of the AGW relies exclusively on the spirit of volunteerism and financial self-sufficiency. The AGW welcomes wider audiences across disciplinary boundaries and encouraged more members to actively participate in the events and projects.
Key Words: Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Online-Based Academic Forum, Hands-On Workshop, Sharing Know-Hows, Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Introduction
Background
Over decades, we have obtained an increasing amount of archaeological data, both in analogue and digital formats, from excavations and post-excavation processes. Archaeological spatial analyses have employed a variety of digital data sources, including satellite imagery (Parcak 2009) and topographical, geological, hydrological (Harrower 2010), and climate maps (Banks et al. 2008). Since their introduction in the early 1980s, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have provided sophisticated means to integrate, manage, manipulate, and analyse these data to visualise spatio-temporal patterns of material culture (Conolly and Lake 2006).
Problems
In Japan, knowledge and experience with practical applications of GIS to archaeological research have been dispersed across academia. This is partly because there are very few opportunities for Japanese archaeologists to take a training course in GIS and otherwise they have to teach themselves. It also means that they have to purchase, install, and operate a GIS package for themselves. However, there is a dilemma here that commercial GIS suites are generally too expensive for students and tight-budget researchers on one hand and charge-free opensource GIS programs are too difficult to utilise in some cases on the other hand.
The CEDACH DMT: a Volunteer-Based Data Management Team for the Documentation of the Earthquake-Damaged Cultural Heritage in Japan
- Edited by Mingquan Zhou
- Iza Romanowska, Zhongke Wu, Pengfei Xu, Philip Verhagen
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- Book:
- Revive the Past
- Published by:
- Amsterdam University Press
- Published online:
- 23 June 2021
- Print publication:
- 17 August 2012, pp 326-333
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- Chapter
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Summary
Abstract:
The Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 caused immense damage not only to the residents and social infrastructure,but also to cultural heritage. In order to document the endangered heritage and support cultural resource management (CRM) associated with the restoration activities, a self-motivated group of archaeologists, historians, and CRM specialists established the Consortium for Earthquake-Damaged Cultural Heritage (CEDACH). This paper reports current activities of its data management team (DMT). The team's first task was to create a portal website and a web-based geospatial information infrastructure, the CEDACH GIS, to document the damaged and endangered heritage. We are also developing a data management system (DMS) to support local CRM inspections. Currently, we need more channels for liaising with other organisations involved in the same task for our long-term activities.
Key Words: Great East Japan Earthquake, Cultural Resource Management, Geographical Information Systems, Consortium for Earthquake-Damaged Cultural Heritage, Data Management Team
Introduction
The Great East Japan Earthquake and cultural heritage
The magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami hit the vast areas of East Japan on March 11, 2011. It caused immense damage not only to the residents and social infrastructure (Shibahara 2011) but also to cultural heritage across those areas (Fig. 1) (Enomae and Higashijima 2011). In the press release 171 on November 24, 2011, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology stated that at least 725 registered cultural assets were damaged, including five national treasures, 159 important government-designated cultural properties, and 90 historical sites (http://www. mext.go.jp/a_menu/saigaijohou/). The whole situation has not yet been fully grasped because these numbers exclude prefecture-designated, municipality-designated, and undesignated cultural assets. It is underlined that archaeological sites and artefact scatters, legally referred to as ‘buried cultural properties’, are in imminent danger from the removal of tsunami debris and construction works. It also has to be noted that, on the ground of extraordinary circumstances, the Agency of Cultural Affairs decided to allow urgent recovery works in the registered sites without notifying the cultural resource management (CRM) division of the concerned municipal offices as per the special measures of the Cultural Assets Preservation Act on March 25, 2011 (Agency of Cultural Affairs 2011). Expeditious actions were needed.