A Chicago-based commemoration project for the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, remembering the victims of disaster and documenting the region's recovery.
Every year since the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake — more commonly known as 3.11 — the Kizuna Project exhibitions produced by our collective group have brought Chicago residents together on the anniversary of the disaster. These exhibitions have provided those of us in Chicago an opportunity to honor the lives that were lost, and learn more about the lives of those still living in, and striving to recreate the Tohoku region. This Kizuna Project is how we in Chicago attempt to prevent memories of the disaster and the experiences of those who were affected by it from fading away.
This exhibit, Kizuna 9: Memory, shows how residents of Tohoku themselves work to preserve the memory of 3.11. Based on photographs taken by Shishido Kiyotaka and interviews collected by Alex Jania during the summer of 2019, the exhibit presents the stories of six different memorial projects located across Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures. These pictures and stories show that the preservation of memory can take a variety of forms, such as planting flowers, telling stories, preserving buildings, or creating crafts. The goals of those who work
to preserve the memory of 3.11 are equally diverse. These memorial projects can help survivors mourn those who were lost, create new communities, and inform future generations about the dangers of such disasters. What ties them together is the belief that the past should not be forgotten, and that the preservation of memory is vital for the future.
By reading the stories of Tohoku residents presented by this Kizuna Project exhibit, viewers participate in the larger collective effort to remember the events of 3.11. The purpose of this exhibit is to show that memory is not something static that only exists in the past. Preserving the memory of 3.11 is an active practice that is happening today in various forms; connecting people in Tohoku, Chicago, and beyond.
The 2020 Commemoration Ceremony and Economic Seminar were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Photographer: Kiyotaka Shishido
Kiyotaka Shishido is a photographer based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. He studied documentary photography in the U.S. in the 1980s, and is well known for the portraits of WWII-era Japanese Americans like Senator Daniel Inoue and a translator for Douglas MacArthur. He published many monographs, including “Home,” featuring the Great East Japan Earthquake affected areas. Kiyotaka also took the photos presented in Kizuna 2, which can be viewed on Chicago Sister Cities International’s website.
Interviews: Alex Jania, Doctoral Candidate, University of Chicago
Alex Jania first visited Tohoku in 2012 to volunteer in the disaster zone as part of an intensive Japanese language program. This experience influenced him to study the history of memorials to natural disaster victims in Modern Japan. In 2018 Alex was awarded a Fulbright Graduate Research Fellowship to pursue his research on disaster memorials in Tokyo, Kobe, and the Tohoku region. In addition to his research, Alex has participated in the Kizuna Project to collect and share stories of 3.11 survivors with audiences outside of Japan.
