Man Pays Tribute to Grandfather’s Rescuer 80 Years after Kii Peninsula Quake

By Eiko Negishi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

2:00 JST, December 16, 2024

TSU — A man from Tsu has recently paid tribute at the grave of the person who helped his grandfather during the 1944 Kii Peninsula earthquake.

The magnitude 7.9 Showa Tonankiai Earthquake occurred at 1:36 p.m. on Dec. 7, 1944. According to the Cabinet Office and other sources, the death toll and number of people unaccounted for was 1,223, and the number of houses destroyed was 26,130. The tsunami damage was largely concentrated along the coast of Mie Prefecture.

However, the damage was largely unpublicized so as not to undermine the nation’s fighting spirit during the Pacific War, hence it is also called the “hidden earthquake.”

Naoki Higashi, 58, from the town of Kihoku in Mie Prefecture, has been thinking about the man who saved his grandfather from the tsunami since learning about him through his interactions with a woman from his hometown who now lives in the United States.

Higashi’s grandfather, Jinshiro, lived on the coast of Kihoku 80 years ago.

“As a child, I heard that my grandfather had survived the tsunami,” Higashi said. He added that he did not know the details of what happened, and his grandfather had died the month after the earthquake.

Higashi, who now lives in Tokyo, learned about the person who saved his grandfather through Rie Holland, 62. She was a friend of his through social media and had lived in Kihoku until she was 24.

On Dec. 7, 1944, Holland’s uncle, Yukio Nagai, then 21 and a crew member on the battleship Yamato, had returned for a short visit to his parents’ home in Kihoku.

After the powerful quake, Nagai noticed Jinshiro, bedridden with illness, was still in the house next door. Nagai carried him to higher ground for evacuation. Before long, a huge tsunami hit the area, causing devastating damage. Jinshiro expressed his gratitude to Nagai.

Nagai later returned to the Yamato and lost his life on April 7, 1945, when the ship was sunk by the U.S. military. Holland heard the story of her uncle from her mother when she was a child, she said.

It was not until April 2022 that Higashi and Holland, who had become friends on Facebook in 2015, realized the connection they shared through Jinshiro and Nagai. Higashi’s mother had posted a message about the Showa Tonankai Earthquake. The three sent each other messages, saying it was a curious turn of fate.

Higashi and Holland visited the graves of their respective families in Kihoku together in February. In front of Nagai’s grave, Higashi expressed his gratitude for the help his grandfather had received from him and joined his hands in prayer.

“My uncle died in battle at a young age, and I thought he must have lived a sad life. I learned that there is a person who still feels grateful to him, and I felt that [his life] had meaning,” Holland said.

In autumn, Higashi twice visited the Yamato Museum in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, to learn more about the man who saved his grandfather’s life, the battleship Yamato and the importance of peace.

Thinking of Nagai’s last days made his heart almost burst with grief, Higashi said.

In Tokyo, Higashi joined his local neighborhood association and took part in local festivals. “If I get to know my neighbors, I can help them in times of disaster. Like Mr. Nagai, I want to help people in need when the time comes,” Higashi said.