Sakurajima Explosion Monument

This is the Sakurajima Explosion Monument. There are several other monuments similar to this, but this is the most famous. It is located on the grounds of Higashi Sakurajima Elementary School, behind the swing set. It is said to be a monument of disbelief in science because of the description “Theory is not to be trusted”, but I don’t think it is a complete denial of science. Oh, please be sure to speak to the staff in the staff room of the school when you visit.

 

Let's read the inscription. This is constructed in only five sentences, but a little longer. All the Higashi Sakurajima Elementary School students memorize them.

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1. The explosion in 1914 was the most catastrophic disaster since the An-ei Great Eruption, wiping out eight villages and leaving 140 people dead or injured.

2. Several days before the explosion, abnormal phenomena continued such as earthquakes and boiling water on the coast, so the mayor of Higashi Sakurajima Village asked the weather station several times, but the station replied that there would be no eruption.

3. The village mayor said there was no need to evacuate because the weather station said so, but a large eruption occurred shortly after. Those who trusted the weather station were harmed, and the mayor and others had no choice but to escape by swimming in the sea. The explosion on this island was a natural occurrence in light of history, and there was no escaping what was bound to happen.

4. The most important thing for residents is not to be misled by information, but to be prepared to evacuate as soon as they sense something unusual, and they must be prepared daily.

5. We hereby erect this monument to commemorate the event.

　　　　　　　　　　Higashi Sakurajima Village, 1924

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It is the fourth sentence that is being discussed. The original text reads.

“The residents shouldn’t trust the theory, and if they find something unusual happens, it is most important for them to prepare for evacuation beforehand, and they should be thrifty and save money, and prepare themselves for not to be turned adrift whenever they encounter a disaster.”

《住民ハ理論 ニ信賴セス異變ヲ認󠄁知スル時ハ未然ニ避󠄁難󠄀ノ用意󠄁尤モ肝要󠄁トシ平󠄁素勤󠄁儉產ヲ治メ何時變災ニ値モ路 途󠄁ニ迷󠄁ハサル覺悟ナカルヘカラス》

 

Of course, this was written in response to the fact that the weather station had made a wrong decision at that time. In fact, however, many Sakurajima residents didn’t trust the weather station and evacuated with their own judgement. Such people were saved. So why did they evacuate? This is because the surroundings were different from usual. So, regardless of what science has determined, the most important thing is to evacuate immediately if you sense something is wrong and to be aware of the dangers that are always present. Science is important, too.