Wood Path for All 2019 | Kawamata Tadashi Sendai in Progress

Wood Path for All 2019

Extending toward the sea, Wood Path for All 2019 was built on the seaward side of the Teizan Canal. This area was once home to a vast pine forest, planted by the forebears of the local people as a disaster-prevention forest, but large sections of it had been washed away by the tsunami. Beside the path are stone monuments erected by the ancestors to pray for safety at sea and to commemorate the planting of the pine trees, and the path is designed to lead to these. Participants walked the wood path for the first time at the event Teizan Canal Ferry Boat and Shinhama Footpath 2019 part 1, held on July 27th (organized by the Shinhama Neighborhood Association).

Local people and students from Kyoto take part in the production

Mr. Yoshihiro Endo, head of the Shinhama Neighborhood Association, inscribing the name of the path

The path curves around the Eight Great Dragon Kings Monument (erected in the hope for maritime safety and the prevention of accidents at sea) like a bench. From this point, heading about 100 meters through the pine plantation toward the sea is the Forest Appreciation Monument, which commemorates afforestation efforts of the mid-20th century.

At a meeting with participants at Home for All in Shinhama, Kawamata commented: “When it comes to day-to-day connections between the city and the sea, the Teizan Canal is the keyword. To activate this historical heritage even more, I’d like to create a boat dock and other things.”