Yuka Yagasaki｜“Museum on the Coastline” — The Seawall as a Support Medium
The article reports on the "Museum on the Coastline," a mural project painted on a massive seawall in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, showing how this structure serves as a site of memory and communication through art.Summary
In 2026, 15 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the author visited the "Museum on the Coastline" in the Ogatsu district of Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture. This project involves multiple artists painting murals on the wall of a massive seawall built to protect the region from tsunami damage. Initiated by Mototaro Takahashi and supported through crowdfunding, grants, and collaboration among artists, local residents, and government, the project embeds local history, culture, and festivals into the artworks. The murals function as devices that evoke memories and spark conversations among strangers. The author argues that while the seawall transforms the landscape in the name of "safety and security," the hand-painted murals act as a support medium that connects past and future and fosters communication.
(Source：artscape)