Seto Inland Sea National Park
Miyajima, Hiroshima Prefecture.
11th July 2009
"In September, 1945, the 'Makurazaki typhoon' caused an avalanche of mud and rocks in the upper reaches of the Momijidani river. The Debris from the avalanche accumulated behind boulders in the middle reaches of the river, causing subsequent flows down to the lower section of the river, burying the Itsukushima Shrine grounds in 20000 cubic metres of debris.
In response to this disaster, the prefectural erosion contral section executed a three year plan, starting in 1948, to build a series of erosion control works. This project preserves the sites present state as a place of historical significance and scenic beauty. Moreover, the construction methods are intended to prevent a similar disaster from happening again. It was considered of the utmost importance that the harmony of the areas natural beauty be preserved. Under the guidance of cultural properties experts from the Ministry of Education and the renowned professor kenzo Tanba of Tokyo University, the creation of erosion control works in a Japanese garden style was a sucess. In the process, materials from the site were used, no trees were cut down, and concrete surfaces were made to be unseen.
When, in 1974, the erosion control specialist, Dr. Herbert Aulitzky of Vienna University came to visit, he gave the highest praise for the projects balance between preserving the areas natural beauty and engineering technical excellence."
Hiroshima Prefecture March 1996
We visited Miyajima to see the famous floating Torii of Itsukushima - Jinja, and discovered this National Park, which was very beautiful, and completely natural looking, you wouldn't guess that there are severe amounts of engineering envolved in the park.
