Tsunami victims struggle to bury their dead

(11 Oct 2011)
AP Television
Kosoji Temple cemetery, Rikuzen Takata, Iwate Prefecture, August 10th, 2011
1. Various of stone masons lowering a gravestone into a new grave.
AP Television
Endo Sekizai, Rikuzen Takata, Iwate Prefecture, August 28th, 2011
2. Various of crates containing grave stones shipped from China.
3. Various of stone mason grinding and polishing a stone.
4. Wide of the Endo Sekizai company forecourt.
5. Set up shots of Endo Kenji.
6. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Endo Kenji, CEO, Endo Sekizai Stone Masons:
"In the aftermath of the tsunami we have become extremely busy. The earthquake destroyed or damaged many graves and because so many people died as a result of the disaster we have a great deal to do."
AP Television
Rinshoji Temple Cemetery, Rikuzen Takata, Iwate Prefecture, August 29th, 2011
7. Various of Endosekizai employees preparing to carve the name of a tsunami victim on their family grave.
AP Television
Endo Sekizai, Rikuzen Takata, Iwate Prefecture, August 28th, 2011
9. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Endo Kenji, Endo Sekizai Stone Masons:
"The grave is the place where a family's roots are gathered together. To some people it is a place where they can find peace of mind."
AP Television
Kosoji Temple Cemetery, Rikuzen Takata, Iwate Prefecture, August 13th, 2011
10. Wide of families visiting their ancestral graves.
AP Television
Jodoji Temple Cemetery, Rikuzen Takata, Iwate Prefecture, August 13th, 2011
11. Family visiting ancestral grave.
AP Television
Endo Sekizai, Rikuzen Takata, Iwate Prefecture, August 28th, 2011
12. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Endo Kenji, Endo Sekizai Stone Masons:
"Most people are using loans to rebuild family graves and many people put deceased relatives first. Rebuilding family graves is given priority over rebuilding homes."
AP Television
Kosoji Temple Temple, Rikuzen Takata, Iwate Prefecture, August 13th, 2011
13. Wide of people visiting the Kosoji cemetery.
14. Foreground graves, background, destroyed city.
AP Television
Ryuzenji Temple Cemetary, Rikuzen Takata, Iwate Prefecture, August 29th, 2011
15. Various of Ryuzenji temple cemetery.
16. Set up shots of Eisashi Shuichi
17. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Eisashi Shuichi, Abbot of Ryuzenji Temple:
"I think that a grave being washed away provokes similar feelings to a house being washed away. For some people the loss of a family grave creates a deeper sense of anxiety than the loss of a home. Japanese people think about the afterlife in different ways, but the loss of an actual tangible resting place for ancestral spirits is very disturbing for some people."
AP Television
Rinshoji Temple Cemetery, Rikuzen Takata, Iwate Prefecture, August 29th, 2011
18. Various of Endo Sekizai employees constructing a new grave.
19. Various of Endo Sekizai employees sandblasting the name of a tsunami victim onto the head stone of their family grave.
LEAD IN:
Seven months on from the March 11 tsunami in Japan teams of forensic scientists are still working to match the DNA of unidentified corpses to survivors.
Bodies are still being unearthed in the disaster area and cemeteries continue to expand.
STORYLINE:
These days most of the graves in Japanese cemeteries are made from imported stone.
They mainly come from India and China.
In these countries where labour costs are low, the stones are cut and polished to the specifications of Japanese contractors.
They are then shipped to Japan and assembled by local craftsmen on site.
The Endo Sekizai company has been making graves in the city of Rikuzen Takata for 3 generations.
Other orders require building from scratch.

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