Phytocoenologia
Published online January 2014
Fast Track Article
The Japanese and Chinju-no-mori*
Tsunami-protecting forest after the Great East Japan Earthquake 2011**
Akira Miyawaki, Yokohama, Japan
with 32 photos and 2 figures
Abstract: A great earthquake hit the Tohoku District, eastern Japan, on March 11th 2011. This Great East Japan Earthquake includ-
ing great tsunami that followed claimed the lives of about 20,000 people, though we made best possible prediction and preparation
for natural disasters with full use of the newest science and technologies. Tide prevention forests of pine trees alone did not serve
the purpose, but not a tree from the local potential natural vegetation fell in the earthquake and the tsunami. In order to survive in
such flat areas, it is essential to build high coastal levees with native forests of indigenous tree species.
Most of the debris from disaster areas is ecologically an earth resource. After removing poisonous materials, debris should be uti-
lized to make well aerated mounds along the 300km-long coasts of disaster areas. Saplings of native tree species with fully devel-
oped root systems are planted mixed and densely on the mounds. They will grow to form tsunami-preventing native forests a
“Great Wall of Forests”. This afforestation on embankments should spread as a government project and a national movement.
Keywords: tsunami, debris, potential natural vegetation, Great East Japan Earthquake 2011
Civilization, science, technology, and natural power of the great tsunami and was destroyed. The Great
disaster East Japan Earthquake claimed the lives of about 20,000
people (Miyawaki 2011).
It is said that humans appeared on the earth about five Otsuchi Town is bordered on the north by Kamaishi
million years ago and survived in forests, accepting abun- and had a population of around 16,000. By the Earth-
dant blessings from nature over most of that time. For- quake and the great tsunami, 1,276 people including the
ests were the basis of human existence (Miyawaki 2004). Mayor and executive officials were victimized (803 dead,
Humans made tools out of stones, bronze and iron, 473 missing as of Nov. 2011) (Photo 1).
and because of their extremely developed cerebral cortex We have realized natural threats are sometimes beyond
they acquired the ability to memorize, to think, to accu- the capability of humans to resist, and that life is most
mulate knowledge, and to judge in a comprehensive and precious.
systematic fashion. They developed civilizations that in-
cluded science and technology. On the other hand, they
kept destroying natural forests. Functions of native forests
At present, by utilizing such extreme resources as
atomic energy, we live a convenient and materially afflu- The course of life on the earth continues from about 4
ent life that our ancestors could never imagine. We live, billion years ago to the present, and we live now as a
so to speak, under the best of conditions. milestone on the road of life extending far into the future.
In terms of prediction and preparation for natural dis- Native forests of native trees are the green bed for our
asters, we take the best possible measures by using the genetic resources.
newest science and technologies. Kamaishi City, which Native forests are multi-stratal, each consisting of an
suffered much damage due to tsunami in the past, com- overstory tree layer, an understory tree layer, a shrub
pleted a concrete breakwater 63 meters deep, 2 km long, layer, a herbaceous layer and usually a moss layer. The
20 meters wide, and 8 meters high above sea level. How- total green surface area is 30 times greater than that of a
ever, on March 11th, 2011, it could not withstand the single-layer grass lawn. In the earth’s ecosystems, green
* This is the abstract of my lecture for Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo from 15:00 to 16:05 on July 5th, 2012.
** Part of this manuscript was published in Japanese in ECO-HABITAT, the proceedings of the JISE Research Institute, 18(1): 178–182, 2011. Yoko-
hama.
© 2014 Gebrüder Borntraeger, 70176 Stuttgart, Germany www.borntraeger-cramer.de
DOI: 10.1127/0340-269X/2014/0044-0571 0340-269X/2014/0044-0571 $ 4.50
eschweizerbart_xxx
phyto_44_1_2_0571_Miyawaki.indd 1 20.01.14 15:28
2 A. Miyawaki
vegetation is the only producer, and indigenous forests Turn crisis into chance
with multiple layers are the basis of existence for all ani-
mals, including humans, which are also consumers. The Japanese Archipelago is rich in nature and very beau-
Forests of evergreen broad-leaved trees with deep tap- tiful. At the same time it is prone to natural disasters,
roots (Photo 2) have various functions in environmental such as big earthquakes, tsunami, fires, typhoons and
protection and disaster mitigation. They also sustain bio- floods. The most important thing to do right now is to
diversity and reduce global warming by absorbing car- build native forests which survive thousands of years un-
bon dioxide in the atmosphere and fixing carbon in bio- til the next glacial age arrives, in order to protect the life
mass. of the Japanese people (Miyawaki 2010, 2012) (Photo 7).
Indigenous forests throughout the world, however, Our ancestors preserved and built chinju-no-mori
have been destroyed through hundreds of years of log- when they constructed villages and towns. It is of great
ging, overgrazing, extensive farming and rapid urbaniza- significance to build native chinju-no-mori of the 21st
tion. The Japanese have also cut down trees and destroyed century by integrating this traditional Japanese knowl-
forests to make farmland and houses. On the other hand, edge and the results of the modern science of life and en-
our ancestors always preserved, protected and built na- vironment, “vegetation science” and “ecology”. We pro-
tive forests nearby when they constructed villages and pose implementation of this vegetation-ecological refor-
towns. These are the chinju-no-mori (Photo 3) (Miyawaki estation to people in various fields and ask for their
2000) that Japan can be proud to show off to the world. cooperation.
Recently, though, the number of chinju-no-mori has Some say that towns affected by the great tsunami
dropped rapidly. For instance, only 40 such forests out of should relocate to higher ground. This may be only a
2850 remain in Kanagawa Prefecture, the capital of which desk theory. Looking back at human history, one can see
is Yokohama, with a population of 3.6 million people that cities in Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece, as well as
(Miyawaki et al. 1979). modern large cities such as London, New York, Boston,
Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka, are located on the coast.
Areas along the seaside or riverside are ecologically di-
Trees in natural disasters verse and comfortable to live in. Of course these areas in
Japan are small, because Japan is a mountainous country.
We have been conducting field vegetation surveys in deva- Even if people move inland, some of them will go down
stated areas since soon after the Great East Japan Earth- near the sea 10–20 years later, and schools, shops and
quake. Monoculture forests of black pine (Pinus thunber- companies will also return in 30 years. Areas where peo-
gii) or red pine (Pinus densiflora) trees along the coast of ple have lived over the generations are the most conveni-
the Sendai Plain and other disaster areas were almost ent places to live in. It would be best for them to survive
completely destroyed (Photo 4), and some trees were car- there, whatever happens.
ried inland by the second and third waves, extending the Remember, a natural disaster strikes when we lose the
damage by bumping into people, houses and cars. memory of the previous one, as Torahiko Terada (1878–
On the other hand, indigenous tree species of the 1935), a famous Japanese physical scientist, once said. I
chinju-no-mori in Minamisanriku Town and Otsuchi would like to start to create native forests at once to save
Town survived the disaster. Trees from the local potential the lives of citizens.
natural vegetation (Tüxen 1956) on steep slopes, includ-
ing Persea thunbergii, Camellia japonica and Euonymus
japonicus, did not fall down, although the soil was washed Debris as an earth resource
away and their large roots were exposed (Photo 2, 5).
Forty years ago, at Kamaishi Steel Plant of Nippon Central and local governments have problems dealing
Steel Corporation, we planted saplings of indigenous tree with debris from the Great Earthquake. They are carry-
species in order to make quasi-natural forests, following ing it to many other communities to burn. It contains lots
an ecological method (Miyawaki 1973). Trees along the of wood, and CO2 is emitted when it is burned, which
sea were cut down when they constructed a new harbor, contributes to global warming.
but they left the forest further inland. After the Great Poisonous materials in the debris should be removed.
Earthquake, trees of Quercus myrsinaefolia higher than What can be used should be taken away to use. All that
10 meters stood firmly (Photo 6), together with their remains is an earth resource. According to our surveys,
young trees and other evergreen broad-leaved tree spe- more than 90 % is woody debris from furniture or build-
cies, including Camellia japonica and Euonymus japoni- ing materials plus concrete lumps from house founda-
cus. The “real thing” endures severe conditions and holds tions (Photo 8). These hold many memories of family
out for a long time. history and victims.
I suggest creating native forests by utilizing the debris
filled with memories of local people. We dig deep long
eschweizerbart_xxx
phyto_44_1_2_0571_Miyawaki.indd 2 20.01.14 15:28
Tsunami-protecting forest after the Great East Japan Earthquake 2011 3
Photo 2
Photo 1
Photo 3 Photo 4
Photo 6
Photo 5
Photo 1–6: 1. Everything was destroyed due to the Great East Japan Earthquake and the tsunami that followed on March 11th, 2011. (Ot-
suchi Town, Iwate Pref.) (provided by Jiji Press). 2. Root systems of Persea thunbergii which withstood the pressure of the Great Tsunami
(Minamisanriku Town, Miyagi Pref.). 3. Chinju-no-mori facing the Japan Sea. (Wakasa Bay, Fukui Pref.). 4. Trees of black pine (Pinus
thunbergii) and red pine (P. densiflora) fallen in the Great Tsunami (Sendai Plain). 5. An old tree of Persea thunbergii of a small Chinju-no-
mori survived in the Tsunami (Minamisanriku Town, Miyagi Pref.). 6. Trees of evergreen Oak (Quercus myrsinaefolia) survived in the
Great Tsunami. (Kamaishi Works, Nippon Steel Corp. (April, 2011).
eschweizerbart_xxx
phyto_44_1_2_0571_Miyawaki.indd 3 20.01.14 15:28
4 A. Miyawaki
Photo 8
Photo 7
Photo 9 Photo 10
Photo 11 Photo 12
Photo 7–12: 7. Environment-protection disaster-mitigation forest at Kimitsu Ironworks, Nippon Steel Corp., located on the shore of the
Tokyo Bay. 8. Disaster debris is an earth resource. After removing poisonous and indecomposable matters, debris should be used to make
mounds for reforestation by mixing with soil. 9. Scrap wood at the site of Eidai Brazil near Belén. This is an earth resource. 10. Scrap wood
was buried to make a plantation mound. 11. Citizens planted saplings with delight at Belén, Brazil (1996). 12. 10 years later tress formed a
12 meter high forest.
eschweizerbart_xxx
phyto_44_1_2_0571_Miyawaki.indd 4 20.01.14 15:28
Tsunami-protecting forest after the Great East Japan Earthquake 2011 5
Photo 13
Photo 14
Photo 15 Photo 16
Photo 17 Photo 18
Photo 13–18: 13. The planting site near the main gate of the new campus of Yokohama National University. We made lattice work, added
topsoil and planted saplings of indigenous tree species (1979). 14. 20 years later, a 15 meter high quasi natural forest was formed in the
campus. 15. Yokohama City Sewage Plant located close to the sea Potted saplings planted on the mound built of construction debris and
soil. 16. Same place 2 years later. (Prof. K. Fujiwara and Prof. E. O. Box following up on the tree growth).17. About 10 years later, the trees
grow to form a forest with a function of weakening the power of tidal waves and tsunami. 18. Hirohata Works, Nippon Steel Corp., Hyogo
Prefecture. A mound formed in the reforestation site.
eschweizerbart_xxx
phyto_44_1_2_0571_Miyawaki.indd 5 20.01.14 15:28
6 A. Miyawaki
Photo 19 Photo 20
Photo 21 Photo 22
Photo 23 Photo 24
Photo 19–24: 19. Same place 10 years later. 20. Ohgishima Thermal Plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co. Saplings planted on the reclamation
site in the Tokyo Bay. 21. 10 years later an environment-protection disaster-mitigation forest was formed. 22. Gobo Thermal Plant, Kansai
Electric Power Co. (Head Office, Osaka). The site for plantation around the Thermal Plant on a man-made island. (March 1984, Wakayama
Pref.). Potted saplings from the local potential natural vegetation, including Persea thunbergii, Castanopsis cuspidata var. sieboldii, and
Quercus glauca, were planted mixed and densely here. 23. Same place at present (Dec. 15 2012). A boundary environment protection forest
with functions of disaster mitigation and tide prevention is formed. 24. Inside of the forest of Photo 23.
eschweizerbart_xxx
phyto_44_1_2_0571_Miyawaki.indd 6 20.01.14 15:28
Tsunami-protecting forest after the Great East Japan Earthquake 2011 7
Photo 25
Photo 26
Photo 27 Photo 28
Photo 29 Photo 30
Photo 25–30: 25. Teachers and students of Kitakami Junior High School in a disaster area planted saplings together in order to make a
disaster-mitigation forest around the school ground. (May 2011). 26. Trees are growing well (Oct. 2012). 27. Planting event in Otsuchi
Town, Iwate Pref. (April 2012). People of the town suffered devastating damages from the Great Tsunami. 28. Right after planting (Otsuchi
Town). 29. Planting event in Iwanuma City, Miyagi Pref. (May 2012) Mr. Hosokawa (right), former Prime Minister, joined in planting. 30.
Saplings after mulch treatment (Iwanuma City).
eschweizerbart_xxx
phyto_44_1_2_0571_Miyawaki.indd 7 20.01.14 15:28
8 A. Miyawaki
Photo 31 Photo 32
Photo 31–32: 31. After 20–30 years planted saplings will grow to form a disaster-mitigation environment-protection forest like this. (A
forest built up around Gobo Thermal Plant on a man-made island). 32. Inside of a forest regenerated by the Miyawaki Method. (Kimitsu
Ironworks, Nippon Steel Corp. refer photo 7).
trenches along the coast in disaster areas, put the debris About 20 years ago, we already made plantation
and soil into these holes to make mounds (the higher, the mounds by mixing wood refuse and soil as an experimen-
better), and plant saplings of many main and companion tal project at Belém, Brazilian Amazon. Trees planted on
tree species from the local potential natural vegetation. the mounds grew steadily, and now multi-stratal quasi-
Mounds consisting of mixed soil and debris are well aer- natural forests are formed (Miyawaki & Abe 2004)
ated, and trees grow well, because their roots also breathe (Photo 9, 10, 11, 12).
under the ground (Miyawaki 2011, 2012).
The forests grown on the mounds will function as
green embankments protecting life and property of local Reforestation as national movement
people from great tsunami. If all the debris is used up in
building 100 m-wide 22 m-high mounds on the 300 km Fortunately, former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa
of affected coastline, then the debris accounts for no (Photo 29, right person), who once joined in our refor-
more than 4.8 % of the total amount of soil in the mounds estation project as the governor of Kumamoto Prefec-
(Fig. 1), according to calculations by a retired senior of- ture, Kyushu, cooperates actively in the implementation
ficial from the Construction and Transport Ministry and plan to build green embankments by utilizing the debris
others. from the disaster areas.
Poisonous materials must be removed from the debris. We talked to the then Prime Minister Noda, as well as
The law that requires incineration disposal of general to former Minister Hirano of the Reconstruction Agency,
waste, including household garbage, was enacted at the and to former Minister Hosono for the Environment,
beginning of 1970s. However, burning is the easiest way about our proposal for making green embankments.
ecologically. They listened attentively but things have not gone for-
ward, probably because the administrative system is too
big and complex. In the meantime, debris, the useful
earth resource, is being burned. It is quite effective to mix
Sectional drawing of a green coastal levee debris in order to aerate soil.
In our reforestation we do not use high-cost adult
trees. We plant 30 cm tall saplings of the main and com-
Forest of various indigenous trees panion tree species from the local potential natural vege-
(20-30 meters high)
tation, which you can see surviving in chinju-no-mori.
Mound Saplings grow rapidly in mixed dense plantations based
(by the use of debris and soil at the site) on the rule of natural forests.
The choice of native tree species to plant is most im-
22 䡉
portant. Monocultures of pine trees are weak in disaster
prevention. As plants evolved, 300 million years ago was
the age of the Pteridophytes (ferns and similar), which
100 䡉
were buried in the earth during the next glacial age and
became our present-day fossil fuels. Next was the time of
Fig. 1. Sectional drawing of a green coastal levee. the Gymnosperms, including cycads, ginkgos, and need-
eschweizerbart_xxx
phyto_44_1_2_0571_Miyawaki.indd 8 20.01.14 15:28
Tsunami-protecting forest after the Great East Japan Earthquake 2011 9
le-leaved coniferous trees like Cryptomeria japonica and winds such as Pittosporum tobira, Rhaphiolepis umbel-
Pinus spp. Today is the age of the angiosperms (flowering lata , Eurya emarginata and Euonymus japonica.
plants) since about 150 million years ago. We spend six months to one year nursing potted seed-
Woody vegetation of angiosperms includes evergreen lings of these tree species until their root systems are fully
broad-leaved trees (laurel trees) with deep taproots, developed, and then plant the resulting saplings in dense
which grow in areas southwest of the Kanto District with mixes according to the rule of natural forests. After three
the Tokyo metropolitan district up to 800 meters above years, weeding is unnecessary. By natural selection, the
sea level, and northward along the Pacific coast to around trees grow about 10 meters tall in 10 years, and 20 meters
Kamaishi and Otshuchi of Iwate Prefecture, and even to tall in 20 years, to form a disaster-preventing and envi-
southern Akita Prefecture on the Japan Sea coast. The ronment-protection forest of native trees (Miyawaki
main tree species in these areas are Persea thunbergii, 2012, Photo 7 and others).
Quercus acuta, Q. salicina, Q. myrsinaefolia, Q. glauca, Some actual cases are shown in Photos: I. Yokohama
and Camellia japonica, plus Castanopsis cuspidata var. National University (Photo 13, 14). II. Yokohama City
sieboldii in southern areas i.e. phytosociologically Ca- Sewage Plant close to seashore (Photo 15, 16, 179. III.
mellietea japonicae (Miyawaiki & Ohba 1963) re- Hirohata Works, Nippon Steel Corporation (Photo 18,
gion. 19). IV. Ohgishima Thermal Plant, Tokyo Electric Power
We choose these main tree species for ecological refor- Company (Photo 20, 21). V. Gobo Thermal Plant, Kansai
estation. To support the main tall trees, we also choose Electric Power Company (Photo 22, 23, 24).
shorter trees and arborescent species, such as Neolitsea We plant three saplings per square meter. This means
sericea, Ilex integra, Myrica rubra, Dendropanax trifidus, that 90 million potted saplings will be needed to build
Aucuba japonica, Fatsia japonica and Eurya japonica. forests on the 300 km-long 100 m-wide mounds along
Along the coasts we plant tree species strong against salty the coasts of the disaster areas. Of course we cannot plant
all at one time. We start where we can.
Fig. 2. Proposal of 300 km long tsunami-preventing forest levee (contributed by Rin-no-ji Temple, Sendai).
eschweizerbart_xxx
phyto_44_1_2_0571_Miyawaki.indd 9 20.01.14 15:28
10 A. Miyawaki
The first ecological planting in disaster areas, mixing groups. At each site the saplings grew to form forests that
debris with soil in a mound, was carried out at Kitakami save the lives of people.
Junior High School in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefec- I hope all of the Japanese people plant small saplings
ture in May, 2011 (Photo 25, 26). Two months later, we with their own hands in order to protect their own lives
also planted saplings of native tree species in Sendai, but and those of their loved ones, and to preserve the lush
in this project debris was not utilized. If the growth con- verdure of Japan. I wish to spread the know-how and the
ditions compared, are compared the former is much bet- results of this ecological reforestation to the whole world.
ter.
In 2012, planting festivals were held in Otsuchi Town
(Photo 27, 28) and Iwanuma City (Photo 29, 30), gov- References
erned by farsighted, decisive mayors. Volunteers from all
over Japan planted saplings with the former Prime Minis- Miyawaki, A. (1973/1981): Pflanzung von Umweltschutz-
ter, Mr. Hosokawa (Photo 29, right person). These sap- Wäldern auf pflanzensoziologischer Grundlage in den In-
dustriegebieten von Japan. Beispiel von elf Fabriken der Ja-
lings are now growing steadily, and 20-30 years later pan-Steel-Comp. (Muroran, Hokkaido bis Ooita, Kyushu).
quasi-natural forests will be formed just like forests at – In: Tüxen, R. (ed.): Gefährdete Vegetation und deren Erh-
Gobo Thermal Plant of Kansai Electric Co. and at Kim- altung, Rinteln 27–30, März 1972. – Ber. d. Int. Symposien d.
itsu Ironworks of Nippon Steel Corp. regenerated by us- Internat. Ver. f. Vegetationskunde. J.Cramer Verlag, Vaduz
ing the Miyawaki Method (Photo 31, 32). Our hope is 1981.
that the afforestation on embankments in disaster areas Miyawaki, A. (2000): Chinju-no-mori. Shinchosha Publishing,
Tokyo. 159 pp. (in Japanese).
will spread as a government project and a national move- Miyawaki, A. (2004): Restoration of living environment based
ment. on vegetation ecology. Theory and practice. – Ecological Re-
search 19: 83–90. Blackwell Publishing Asia, Australia.
Miyawaki, A. (2010): Phytosociology in Japan. The Past, the
“Forests of Heisei” to the world Present and Future from the Footsteps of one Phytosociolo-
gist. – Braun-Blanquetia 55-58. Camerino.
Miyawaki, A. (2011): Utilize debris from the disaster areas and
In the midst of Tokyo, there is a splendid dense laurel build high coastal levees with native forests. – Urgent pro-
forest. This forest is located at Meiji Shrine which was posal for planting trees for recovery from the ruin and for
built in 1920 to honor the Meiji Emperor who led Japan disaster mitigation. Gakken Publishing, Tokyo. 259 pp. (in
to become a modern nation after the long national isola- Japanese).
tion. The forest was built from around 1915 based on a Miyawaki, A. (2012): “The Great Wall of Forests” Saves Japan!
grand design of people involved at that time to make an Build native forests along the coastline of Japan. Kawade
Shobo Shinsha Publishers, Tokyo. 200 pp. (in Japanese).
eternal forest on the premises. They chose native broad- Miyawaki, A. & Ohba, T. (1963): Castanopsis sieboldii-Wälder
leaved tree species and planted 100,000 trees given from auf den Amami-Inseln. – Sci. Rep. Yokohama Natl. Univ.
all over Japan. In 50 years a quasi-natural forest was 2(9): 31–48. Yokohama.
formed. At present 170,000 trees of 245 species are grow- Miyawaki, A., Tohma, H. & Suzuki, K. (1979): Pflanzensozi-
ing in 700,000 m2 (Miyawaki et al. 1980). ologische Untersuchung der Shinto-Schrein- und Buddhis-
The Great Wall of Forests on the 300 km-long em- tischen Tempelwälder in der Präfektur Kanagawa (Haupt-
stadt Yokohama). 168 pp. The Board of Education of the
bankment in the disaster areas of Tohoku district protects Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama/Japan. (in Japanese with
the lives of local people (Fig. 2), gives learning opportuni- German abstract).
ties and relaxation time to visitors from home and abroad, Miyawaki, A., Okuda, S. & Inoue, K. (1980): Pflanzensoziolo-
and provides a feature of the regional landscape. These gische Untersuchungen in den Wäldern des Meiji-Schreins
forests coexist with the local economy through selective in Tokyo. Interdisziplinäre Untersuchungen über den Meiji-
Schrein. pp. 269–333. Tokyo. (in Japanese with German ab-
cutting and selling after 80–120 years, and will survive
stract).
thousands of years through the replacement of individu- Miyawaki, A & Abe, S. (2004): Public awareness generation for
als until the next glacial age comes. We would like to the reforestation in Amazon tropical lowland region. –
build Forests of ‘Heisei’, the Great Wall of Forests. Heisei Tropical Ecology 45: 59–65.
represents the era of the present Emperor. Tüxen, R. (1956): Die heutige potentielle natürliche Vegetation
For 40 years I have been planting saplings of indige- als Gegenstand der Vegetationskartierung. – Angew. Pflanzen-
soziologie 13: 5–42. Stolzenau/Weser.
nous tree species at more than 1700 sites in Japan and
overseas, with local people in cooperation with far- Address of the author:
sighted companies, governments and various other Akira Miyawaki, Director, IGES-Japanese Center for Interna-
tional Studies in Ecology, 2-12-20 Okano Nishi-ku Yokohama,
220-0073, Japan; miyawaki-29@jise.jp
eschweizerbart_xxx
phyto_44_1_2_0571_Miyawaki.indd 10 20.01.14 15:28
