Monument of Natural Disaster Tradition
Stone monuments have long been used in Japan to hand down the lessons of disasters because stone is a material that does not decay easily. Comparing monuments in Japan and other countries related to disasters such as tsunamis, while the names of the casualties are often inscribed as memorials or records abroad, in Japan, there is a strong element of conveying lessons learned from the disaster. The lessons learned from these stones have often saved people from damage in later disasters.
According to the database of monuments with natural disaster traditions, the oldest monument is the Matsuzaki monument (Masuda City, Shimane Prefecture), erected in 1814, which is related to the Man-ju Tsunami in 1026. There is also a record of a monument erected in 1380 in Minami Town, Tokushima Prefecture, regarding the 1361 Shohei-Nankai Earthquake Tsunami.

Monument of the 1707 Hoei Earthquake and Tsunami (Saiki City, Oita Prefecture)
Credit: Osamu Murao