Restoring spiritual resilience in post-disaster recovery in Fukushima

This paper discusses the value of spiritual resilience in the post-disaster recovery, examining cases found in the recovery phase of the East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami and subsequent meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi... [ view full abstract ]

This paper discusses the value of spiritual resilience in the post-disaster recovery, examining cases found in the recovery phase of the East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami and subsequent meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. A number of studies have identified the critical role of social capital in disaster recovery and reconstruction, or mitigation and preparedness, identifying a sense of 'reciprocity’ as its vital element. Studies however have not sufficiently addressed the importance of ‘place’ as a vital linkage of social capital. This is particularly true for resource dependent rural communities, whose identity is deeply rooted in their place, which in return maintains community coherence and linkage. For those communities, it is essential that reciprocity is acknowledged and expressed not only between people and community, but also between people and their place (land). One example presented here is a project attempting to restore such land connection in a community in Fukushima, which has been subject to evacuation for the last five years. Villagers are displaced from their homeland and from productive farms that were once renowned for their high quality produce; the prospect of their land recovering its pre-disaster productivity remains uncertain. The project was to recreate the cultural assets of a community shrine that represent the nature belief that is symbolic of the community’s connection with their land. What was restored is a symbol as well as a physical gathering place for the community waiting to return to their home, and a connection with their land expressed in prayer. Physical presence of a place is particularly important for generations not familiar with digital media. Although in recovery and reconstruction a large investment is made in building infrastructure, spiritual resilience, linking social capital and people’s land, deserves much larger investment and attention.