Resilience of communities affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and restoration of their local festivals

After the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Northeast Asian Studies Centre at Tohoku University conducted an extensive project titled, “Investigation into Damage to Folk Cultural Assets from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in Miyagi.” The project focused on “intangible folk cultural assets,” such as local festivals and folk performing arts. In this chapter, Takizawa introduces some of the challenges faced by researchers in attempting to measure the degree of damage to, and recovery of, cultural assets that are essentially “intangible” and for which, in many cases, there were no earlier written records. Issues illuminated by the project and their practical significance to society are discussed with particular reference to the reconstruction of local communities and revival of their traditional festivals.