Inamura no Hi
Phase 1: Development of the Booklets
"Inamura no Hi" is a story of a man who noticed a precursor of a large tsunami at the earliest stage and led village inhabitants to a high ground by burning harvested rice sheaves. This story was based on a true story at the time of Ansei-Nankai Tsunami (1854), which claimed around 3,000 lives in the coastal areas of Western Japan. (See the below for the detailed story.)
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) developed Tsunami educational materials with basic knowledge of Tsunami in 8 countries, using "Inamura no Hi" story, funded by the Government of Japan.
"Inamura no Hi" booklets have been produced in 9 languages for 8 Asian countries, in collaboration with the members below, belonging to the Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network (ADRRN), a network of NGOs for disaster reduction and response in the Asian region. They distributed 1,000 copies of adult version and 1,000 copies of children version in each country.
- Bangladesh: BDPC
- India: SEEDS
- Indonesia: MERCY Malaysia Banda Ache Office
- Malaysia: MERCY Malaysia
- Nepal: NSET
- Singapore: MERCY Malaysia & SIF
- Sri Lanka: Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement
- Philippines: ALERT
- Contents of the Educational Materials -
A big earthquake occurred in the evening.Mr. Gohei, a village chief, became very much worried about tsunami.
From the garden of his house on the top of the hill, Gohei looked down at houses situated along the coast. The villagers did not seem to notice that tsunami was coming.
"I should warn the villagers at once!"
He decided to set a fire to inamura (rice sheaves,) which were made of just-harvested rice crops.
A big earthquake occurred in the evening.Mr. Gohei, a village chief, became very much worried about tsunami.
From the garden of his house on the top of the hill, Gohei looked down at houses situated along the coast. The villagers did not seem to notice that tsunami was coming.
"I should warn the villagers at once!"
He decided to set a fire to inamura (rice sheaves,) which were made of just-harvested rice crops.
Just then, Gohei pointed out to the sea, and shouted."Look. Tsunami is coming."
The sea water stood up like a wall.
The villagers saw the terrible white water destroying their village.They finally understood that it was the fire that saved their lives. They could not find the words to thank Gohei.
"Inamura no Hi" booklets also include basic knowledge on Tsunami.
In order for the tragedy not to repeat itself, we need to share the lessons with other people and teach them about tsunami disaster.
(For Children)
(For Adult)