Chigiriki na
Katami ni sode o
Shibori tsutsu
Sue no Matsuyama
Nami kosaji to wa

(Our sleeves were wet with tears
As pledges that our love —
Will last until
Over Sue’s Mount of Pines
Ocean waves are breaking.)

Kiyohara no Motosuke, ancient Japanese poet, writing of a tsunami in AD 869.

Scientist Warned of Japan Tsunami Disaster via Ancient Poem:

In 2001, Koji Minoura read the poem above. He’s a paleontologist in Sendai, Japan. “Sue no Matsuyama” jumped out at him, a reference to the name of a local pine-covered hill. Ancient historical accounts of the region referenced thousands dying in rising waves after an earthquake.

So he published this paper, using sediments that he found beneath rice fields to estimate the 869 earthquake at 8.3 magnitude. He warned of possible dangers should another earthquake like it occur, and the likelihood of mass deaths inTōhoku.

Unfortunately, no one listened until after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which killed nearly 16,000 people in precisely the manner Minoura predicted ten years earlier. I guess you never know where scientific inspiration will strike.

Keep your eyes and mind open.

Source: theworld.org

98 Notes/ Hide

  1. iknowyouwillbehappyhere reblogged this from mizoguchi
  2. sweatpantsaresexpants reblogged this from alfredodistefano
  3. bonedust reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  4. eveamedeus reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  5. domofosho reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  6. twenty-seventhletter reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  7. lauravalerie reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  8. grrleconomist reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  9. nerdsmorgsboard reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  10. palmofmyhands reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  11. myrthablackswan reblogged this from modernasianstyle
  12. modernasianstyle reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  13. heart-souffle-girl reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  14. owakura reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  15. titapedia reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  16. kittensinspired-bykittens reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  17. snager reblogged this from jtotheizzoe
  18. missensemutation reblogged this from jtotheizzoe

Recent comments

Blog comments powered by Disqus