Rokkakudo – Kitaibaraki

At the northernmost tip of Ibaraki Prefecture, just two kilometers from the border with Fukushima, lies Izura, a series of rocky inlets overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Meaning “five inlets,” this area is celebrated not only for its striking natural beauty but also for its rich cultural and artistic heritage, particularly from the turn of the 20th century. At the heart of this picturesque setting stands the iconic Rokkakudo, a small red pagoda perched on a cliff, surrounded by ocean spray.

Rokkakudo became a symbol of Northern Ibaraki’s cultural and artistic legacy and was preserved as a National Cultural Asset under the stewardship of Ibaraki University since the early Showa era. However, this symbol was tragically lost during the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake in March 2011. The tsunami that devastated the northern coast of Ibaraki, along with Fukushima and other regions, reached unprecedented heights of over 10 meters in the Izura area due to the narrowing, high-walled inlets. The towering waves swept Rokkakudo off its foundation and carried it out to sea, never to be recovered. It is believed to have sunk into deep waters far off the Japanese coast.

Determined to turn tragedy into opportunity, a reconstruction team set out to rebuild Rokkakudo as it appeared during Tenshin Okakura’s era, more than 100 years earlier. The challenge was that no exact records of its original design existed. The team issued a call for old photographs, combed through literary descriptions, and consulted architectural experts to reconstruct its details. Using advanced computer technology, they colorized photographs to determine the original color scheme, calculated dimensions, and identified the types of roof tiles used. Gradually, a blueprint emerged.

The reconstruction effort drew on the expertise of Japan’s top artisans and sourced materials authentic to the Meiji era. Japanese cedar trees over 150 years old were donated by locals for the wood. Roof tiles were procured from a factory in Okayama, and the glass windows, with their distinctive bubbles and warps, were sourced from a company in England that still used traditional manufacturing techniques. Divers conducted multiple ocean floor surveys and recovered several pieces of the original Rokkakudo, which were incorporated into the new structure.

The reconstruction spanned time and geography, bringing together traditional skills, advanced technology, and heartfelt dedication from people around the world. The reborn Rokkakudo stands today as a testament to resilience, preserving the spirit of Izura’s cultural legacy while honoring its storied past.