A flame was collected for the Paralympic torch on Sunday in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, one of the places worst hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The flame was taken from a lantern located in front of a sign saying "Ganbarou (Let's do our best) Ishinomaki" in Ishinomaki Minamihama Tsunami Memorial Park. Local resident Kenichi Kurosawa put up the sign one month after the earthquake to encourage people in the affected areas.
He lit the lantern in March 2012, the year after the disaster. It has been burning for nearly 9-1/2 years since then, kept alive with wood and other materials from collapsed houses in the area.
Kurosawa has also been adding kerosene to the flame every day. After sharing the flame for the Paralympics, he said, "I kept doing this because I don't want the disaster to fade away. I hope it empowers the athletes."
The flame was then taken to the city's sports park, and used to light a replica of the cauldron for the 1964 Tokyo Games. Takashi Wakayama, 52, who is visually impaired, lit the cauldron with his 20-year-old son and others.
Wakayama expressed his hope that "the Ishinomaki flame, which we have cherished, will become a bigger flame in Tokyo, and the Paralympics will be even more exciting."
Flames from all over the country will be united in Tokyo and lit at the National Stadium during the Paralympics opening ceremony on Aug. 24.
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