Quake Recovery Exhibit Opens in Kumamoto with "One Piece" Tie-In

Kumamoto, March 23 (Jiji Press)--Ahead of the 10th anniversary of the April 2016 massive earthquakes in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, a special exhibition showcasing postdisaster reconstruction efforts there has opened in collaboration with the popular manga series "One Piece."

The event at the Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art in the prefecture's capital runs from Friday through May 24. Admission is free but requires booking.

In 2016, the prefecture was struck by a 6.5-magnitude foreshock on April 14, followed by a 7.3-magnitude main quake two days later.

The day after the main quake, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece and a native of Kumamoto, sent a message of support to the prefecture. This led to the launch of the One Piece Kumamoto Revival Project.

The exhibition's concept, "SHI-RU-SHI," which means "sign" in Japanese, represents the "sign of friendship" on the arms of the One Piece protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, and his crew members, as well as a "sign of reconstruction."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]