Keep moving: A clock went silent in Japan's tsunami, came back to life during aftershocks a decade later
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On February 13 of this year, another earthquake hit Japan — a little before the 10th anniversary of the disaster — which was described as an aftershock of the March 2011 disaster
Things happen when the time is right, and in this case of a clock hit by Japan’s deadliest tsunami, the right time came after almost 10 years.
A clock that dates back to almost 100 years in Japan stopped working after the deadly tsunami and earthquake hit the northeast coast on March 11, 2011.
During that earthquake, the clock hanging in the Fumonji temple in the Yamamoto region stopped ticking and was rescued by Bunshun Sakano. The clock has been in Sakano’s temple since then.
Sakano saved the clock and tried to clean it and make it work again. However, all attempts of the Buddhist priest were in vain.
Now, on February 13 of this year, another earthquake hit Japan — a little before the 10th anniversary of the disaster — which was described as an aftershock of the March 2011 disaster.
When Sakano went to check if any damages had occurred in the main hall, he heard the clock ticking.
The 58-year-old feels this is a sign of never giving up. "Maybe it's pushing me to move forward with new determination," Sakano told local media. “It’s like a sign of encouragement that the real restoration is yet to come."
The clock's manufacturer, however, feels it might have started again due to multiple reasons. "It's possible that the pendulum, which had stopped, started moving again with the shaking of the earthquake, or that dust that had built up inside came loose," a representative of Seiko told local media.