Kesennuma City Earthquake Disaster Memorial Park

This memorial park was opened on March 11, 2021, 10 years after the earthquake, on a hill called Jinyama at the foot of Mt. Anba, which is known and loved by the citizens of Kesennuma. Located north of the city center, the mountain’s name, Anbasan (“safe waves”), carries the hope of safe sea travels and bountiful catches of fish. Visitors to the park can look out over the Shishiori and Naiwan areas, which were devastated by the tsunami fires, and get a good sense of how the region is recovering. The 10-meter-tall monument atop the hill, named the “Prayer’s Sail,” is made of aluminized steel used in shipbuilding. The monument was built as a symbol of prayer for reconstruction, and visitors can pray from inside it looking out to the horizon. There are also plaques engraved with the names of victims arranged according to the direction of where their homes stood before the disaster. This green park also has four sculptures built to pass on the memory of the disaster and allows visitors to come at any time to mourn and remember.