The other day, Mr. Shogo Arai in Seaweed research facility asked me. 'I heard old port's breakwater didn't collapse by big tsunami after big earthquake of Ansei age.
do you know what happened to the port in Okikamuro at that time?'.
I never heard about breaking of ports in Okikamuro. Was the port built before Ansei big earthquake or not? I took time to study about this.
'Bocho status report', this is record book which recorded about details of each village's history, map. industry, commercial social activity and traditions in Mori country's Bocho 2 states.
Mr. Seifu Murata and other member were assigned to improve the government policy. They ordered to all city,town,village and island to report thier present status of many assigned categories.
Assembly of those reports is named as the 'status report'. one of the most reliable old record about Yamaguchi prefecture.
Many research paper referred this book because of high reliability. In this book, there is record about Okikamuro's big breakwater as follows.
--------sikkped to translate because of Japanese old sentence------
「一波戸壱ヶ所須崎刈山ヨリ地続曲形寅ノ方エ出張二十五間、寅ノ方ヨリ子ノ方エ曲三十五間総長サ六十間根梁拾間高サ四間、何風吹候イテモ煩少モ無御座候得共、迫シテ海浅ユヘ百石ヨリ四五百石迄之船七八（そう）小漁船百（そう）位ハ繋泊相成可申、諸品交易之便利宜場所ニ自道商船数（そう）出入仕候、文化十四丑の年（１８１７）願出御免相成候上、須崎村地下中自力ヲ以築立仕候事」
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About end of the above sentense, 'they appealed to state government to build breakwater at 1817 and it was permitted. Susaki village (where is area close to end of Okikamuro big bridge) constructed it by all members of village.
It's amazing that our ancestors build huge breakwater without any financial help from Han(state government). They should had enough finance and spirit.
Ansei SouthSea Earthquake occured in 1854 and this breakwater were built 37 years berfore that earthquake. This means the breakwater must been caught by big tide of the earthquake.
The 'status report' was recorded at Tenpo 12 (1841) and before the big earthquake. There is no records that say Okikamuro's village was damaged by tide.
The reason for no damage by tsunami tide may be the village is build to face north. There migth be large damage if village fcaced to south.
When huge typhoone No.19 attacked our area in 1991, Sare (opposite shore of Okikamuro) village's breakwater was broken partially and Isaki district breakwater was destroyed completely.
At Tononyu district, Tsunami tide swapped away all the houses near the ocean.
Disaster Relief Act was applied to this damages. this village was build to face south. The tide reached to the hight at 18 meter above sea level at Ansei earthquake. This fact was recorded in document and stone monument.
(picture) This old picture shows big breakwater in Okikamuro. this picture was taken about beginning of Showa age(1926). Large sailing boat is open sea fishing vessel. there may be 7 oars equipped at left, right and stern side?
There is Kitamae Sengoku ship which is moored at front. Okikamuro was chosen one of 'hundred fisherman's villages historical cultural property to be left to the future' by Fisheries Agency at 2006.
This big breakwater's existence and scenery of island with this breakwater affected lot to the selection.
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