Japanese man determined to reopen family business after tsunami

His determination symbolizes that of his nation.

Michihiro Kono is driven to rebuild local industry in Rikuzentakata, a fishing town in Iwate prefecture, starting with the recently destroyed family business he took over this month.

Kono succeeded his father as president of a soy sauce company that, post-earthquake, appears to no longer exist. Run by his family for nine generations, the business has been levelled. Its legal status and a few bottles of sauce are the only remaining evidence of its history.

Kono refuses to let his family's legacy disappear with the black wave.

A prefabricated hut serves as his temporary office. Inside, crates hold the surviving bottles of sauce, and a sign that reads: "Spreading gratitude through food."

The famed Yagisawa soy sauce's fragrance still wafts in the breeze where the factory once stood.

Kono, 37, has his eyes fixed on the future. His new plant will need a new location with a clean water supply. It will be at least five years before the next bottle of sauce is ready for consumption. In the meantime, his efforts will focus on reconnecting with his loyal customers by selling other manufacturers' products while seeking a new generation of buyers.

One generous customer sent Kono 10,000 yen, ordered one bottle and told him to dedicate the "change" to the rebuilding effort.

"About 70 per cent of our customers died or were made homeless in the tsunami," Kono told The Guardian. "If we just do the same as before, our sales will be a third of what they were. We need to do a 180-degree turn. This company is 200 years old. If we want it to last another 200 years, this is the moment of reckoning."

Rikuzentakata saw 2,000 of its 23,000 residents die in the tsunami, including the mayor's wife and 80 per cent of its homes were swept away. Seven thousand residents still live in evacuation centres. Kono's neighbourhood was almost completely flattened and for 24 hours, he lived in fear that his wife and children had not survived.

Remarkably, his loved-one lived. In fact, every school-aged child survived, thanks to quick-thinking teachers who led them to higher ground.

Despite the tragedy, the town is setting an example for post-tsunami rebuilding. It's the first town to construct temporary homes for its residents. Around 4000 units will be completed by August.

While many have lost their livelihoods, hope remains for the town — two new employees just joined Kono's rebuilding endeavour.

"My family has been making soy sauce in Rikuzentakata since the Edo era, and we owe it to our customers to get back on our feet," says Kono.