Landscape Architecture Australia — February 2018

Tokyo

Shibitachi

Kesennuma

Karakuwa

Okabe

Rikuzentakada

2014

Published Tokyo Void: Possibilities in Absence

(co-authored with Heike Rahmann)

2013

Seawall/landscape symposium and workshop

Rebuilding Kesennuma and Shibitachi:

the possibilities for an economic and culturally

sustainable future

Funded by Australia-Japan Foundation

The Japan that you knew from your father was
perhaps an ideal – that Japan became diseased
in the modern era. And then we were struck by the
2011 earthquake and tsunami. However, that was the
catalyst for people in the affected area to become
more aware, while people from outside gathered in
support. Perhaps it was by coming to help that you
were able to see the Japan that you wanted to see.

Shunsuke Hirose
Landscape architect
Fudokesei Büro für Umweltgestaltung

surreal and challenging places, which
formed a lens through which she sought to
uncover the deeper meaning and conditions
of human existence.

In December 2011, six months after the
Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami,
Marieluise visited the coastal communities
in Tohoku. Through her visiting research
fellowship and collaboration with the
University of Tokyo, Marieluise had the
opportunity to engage with local fishermen
and community leader Shintaro Suzuki,
who was leading the reconstruction efforts
in the small fishing village of Karakuwacho
Shibitachi. Witnessing the destructive
power of the tsunami firsthand, she also
gained an insight into the cultural complex-
ities of the recovery process. This encounter
had a profound influence on Marieluise and
guided her work and advocacy for landscape
architecture for the rest of her life.

Seamlessly integrating research and teach-

ing, her commitment to working along the

Sanriku Coast was driven by two concerns:

a deep sense of justice for the hard-struck

communities and an intricate understanding

of landscape systems that would challenge

the readily available engineering solutions.

The opportunities she envisioned for the

recovery process led to her being awarded an

unprecedented three successive Australia-

Japan Foundation grants funded by the

Australian Government. This success is also

testament to her sustained engagement with

the communities that provided a poignant

contrast to numerous short-lived programs

offered by international support groups

following the earthquake.

The longevity of her efforts in Tohoku

allowed her work to evolve and mature over

time, expanding from developing master-

plans for Shibitachi and Kesennuma to

LANDSCAPE ISSUE 157 050 — 051

PRACTISING IN ASIA