Lessons from the 1961 Sanriku Fire: More Relevant Than Ever

The hillside memorial to the fire in Miyako, Iwate. (© Abe Haruki)

A photograph of the Sanriku Fire in the Miyako City Disaster Archive. (Courtesy Miyako municipal government)

The flames stormed up the dry, wooded hillsides. (Courtesy Miyako municipal government)

Maekawa Hisashi at the roadside memorial to the fire. (© Abe Haruki)

The Ryōri port area in Ōfunato after the March fire. (© Abe Haruki)

Little remains but metal frames for many structures in the area. (© Abe Haruki)

Maekawa Hisashi with firewood gathered in the forest. (© Abe Haruki)