英語訳
**[Right Page, Upper Section]**
Some survivors defiantly declare they have no need for clothing or other necessities; others have built makeshift shelters from two or three door planks; still others rest their weary bodies on a single tatami mat. Among them are those who have swiftly retrieved undamaged tansu (chests of drawers) drifting by in the water and are now being questioned by police officers.
**○ The Light in the Floating House**
A man named Shimamori Yoshikuni from Kobunato, Ōfunato Village, was employed as a teacher at a school two or three *ri* away, and fortunately escaped harm because he was away from home on the day of the tsunami. However, his wife, his son's family, and three grandchildren — six people in all — had been drinking together in celebration of the Boy's Festival (Tango no Sekku) in the second-floor sitting room when they were suddenly overwhelmed by a churning wave and drowned. It is said that for some time afterward, the lantern on the second floor continued to burn without going out. One can only imagine the thoughts that must have filled the minds of those six people in their final moments — even to contemplate it feels as though one's very heart is being torn asunder.
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**Okkiraiku (Kikkiraiku) Village**
Okkiraiku Village consists of four hamlets — Sakihama, Urahama, Tomari, and Horei — situated along the northern part and the innermost reaches of Okkiraiku Bay. The number of houses washed away was 129, and 403 people perished. Among the hamlets, the most ferocious assault of the tsunami struck Sakihama, where 75 houses were swept away, leaving only a dozen or so houses on higher ground. In this place lived a preeminent wealthy household, that of Kariya Jūemon (known by the trade name Nanbuya), who owned two vessels — the *Ryūjinmaru* and the *Kanshōmaru* — and engaged in coastal trade. He also possessed a large number of fishing boats and fishing equipment, which he leased to fishermen, and his assets exceeded one million, making him virtually the lord of the region. However, three years prior he had suffered a devastating fire that burned down not only the Nanbuya but the entire village, and it was only recently that things had begun to return to their former state. Tragically, the tsunami of the night of the 15th once again reduced the place to nothing. In the case of the Nanbuya, a main house with a frontage of 15 *ken* and a depth of 8 *ken* was lost, along with 7 storehouses (*dozō*), one iron safe requiring 50 men to carry, and another requiring 30 men — all swept away. The fishing boats and equipment lent to neighboring villages were also lost entirely. Only the roofs of houses, mostly intact, could be seen washed ashore. The total death toll for Sakihama was 88 men and 126 women, and the Nanbuya family also perished by drowning. The other three hamlets suffered far less severe damage than Sakihama:
**[Right Page, Lower Section]**
- Urahama: 28 houses washed away; 112 dead (53 men, 59 women)
- Tomari: 28 houses washed away; 29 dead (12 men, 17 women)
- Horei: 18 houses washed away; 49 dead (18 men, 31 women)
In addition, 63 people suffered serious injuries, 124 head of cattle and horses died, and 139 vessels were lost. As this area has very few people engaged in farming and consists almost entirely of fishing households, the difficulties that lie ahead can well be imagined.
Oikawa Sōzaburō, the second wealthiest household in the village after the Nanbuya in Sakihama, was entirely wiped out — every member drowned. Only a son who was studying in Tokyo and a brother stationed at a branch office in Sakari-machi survived, but with no one to manage affairs, belongings lie scattered with no one to tidy them up. Additionally, a family of four by the name of Oikawa Jinuemon was swept away together with their house, which then collapsed on top of them, trapping them inside with no way out. In their desperation, the idea that saved them was the chimney: by breaking through the section protruding at the front of the rooftop, three of the four managed to escape alive. Furthermore, out in the same offing, a horse was spotted standing astride the roof of a floating house, drifting for three days. When rescuers rowed out to investigate, they found a human corpse between the rafters, but the horse was still alive, its head thrust up above the ridgepole, rising and falling with the waves without the slightest sign of panic. Using two or three tatami mats as footholds, the rescuers finally managed to save it. Among the many stories, there were all manner of remarkable tales — including that of a woman who was blown across the offing from one shore all the way to the opposite shore, yet survived with her life.
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**Yoshihama Village**
Yoshihama Village is a settlement along Yoshihama Bay, situated between Okkiraiku and Tōni. Of its former 137 households and population of approximately 1,300, only 33 houses were washed away and 194 people were killed. To be sure, 54 houses were damaged and 31 *chō* 2 *tan* of farmland was devastated, and fishing boats and equipment were also lost; however, as the village is partly engaged in agriculture and considerable farmland still remains, it may be considered a relatively fortunate village.
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**[Left Page — Illustrations]**
**[Upper caption]**
An illustration of an elderly woman from Hirota Village seated on a wooden shutter board, drifting on the sea, and being rescued by a fisherman.
**[Lower caption]**
An illustration of disaster survivors in Aikawa Village, with village children playing and frolicking behind them, ringing bells and waving flags.