地域の記憶を継承する場としての博物館

摘要

The major earthquake and subsequent tsunami that took place on 11 March 2011 caused serious damage to museums and the collections housed in these buildings. Particularly hard-hit was the region along the Pacific coastline in Northern Honshu, Japan. Not only did this area lose museum structures and valuable collections, more devastatingly, museums suffered the loss of some of their employees. Many specimens have been rescued from the destroyed museum buildings through the combined efforts of museum workers from the entire country of Japan. I report here on examples of specimen rescues being conducted at three museums in Iwate and Fukushima Prefectures. Talking with friends of the museums there, we learned that museums are not only a home for specimens; museums also serve as a home for local history, tradition and culture. These aspects help to form a basis for a collective identity of the people there. There is often a story behind a museum specimen and even behind an exhibit. Each story is woven into a memory of the community at the museum. We need to rebuild the museums destroyed in the disaster of 11 March 2011 in the near future so that local people are able to keep memories alive for future generations.