Lesson from the past: Edo era roads, towns built just out of tsunami's reach

[AsahinaKimi]

It seems the people who built the Edo-period road running up the northeast coast of Japan knew something about the dangers of tsunami.

Analysis of a Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) map of the March 11 tsunami flooding on the Sendai Plain by Tohoku University history professor Arata Hirakawa shows the waters stopped just short of the vast majority of the old Oshu Kaido and Hama Kaido roads. The region sees a major tsunami once every 400-500 years, and Hirakawa believes it highly probable the route was deliberately established just out of the reach of past inundations.

"Our ancestors were very humble in the face of historical disasters," Hirakawa told the Mainichi, adding that we should learn from their example.

In 1611, after the way station towns on the roads were built, the region was hit by the Keicho Tsunami, in which 1,783 people were recorded killed.

more..
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110423p2a00m0na025000c.html

[MadHound]

1. And yet their ancestors had the audacity to build nuclear reactors right next to the ocean,

Sometimes I wonder if mankind is, collectively, becoming dumber. Seems that we keep forgetting our history, and having to repeat the same mistakes over and over.

[intheflow]

2. You mean their descendants.

But yes, it does seem like humanity is becoming dumber.

[Name removed]

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[intheflow]

9. If not becoming dumber, we're at least holding to the status quo.

If you can show me proof that humanity is becoming more compassionate and humane at a faster rate than becoming more self-centered, greedy and toxic, I'd love to see it.

[malaise]

10. I don't know if dumber is the word but they sure are arrogant

vis a vis nature. Modern human beings actually believe they can control nature.

[Name removed]

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[The Doctor.]

3. The Edo period was rather Liberal... IIRC

They were not only functional and practical, but socially liberal as well.

My memory just ain't what it used to be though... ;*)

[Kurovski]

4. K&R. (nt)

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. People in the medieval period

had this thing over us modern folk... they paid far more attention to their environment. Yes, this may be caused by ONI, but the road will survive the anger of the Oni.

[3waygeek]

8. Were they really that smart?

Or is it that those roads were the only ones that survived long enough for us to know about them?