Seven years after the disaster, the effects are still being felt.
First came the earthquake, then the tsunami, and then the crashing waves that knocked out cooling systems at the Fukushima nuclear plant.
It set off the second-worst nuclear accident in history, with its own devastating consequences.
Nearly 20,000 people died in the tsunami, and thousands were never found.
It is the sound of a violin made almost entirely from the debris left by the 2011 tsunami in Japan.
And it is on its way to Australia, where it will be the star of a charity concert commemorating the seventh anniversary of the disaster.
As well as using debris, the sound post of the violin comes from what is known as the lone pine tree, the only survivor out of 70,000 trees along the Rikuzentakata coast, one of the worst-hit areas.
The tree eventually died due to seawater exposure and was then artificially restored.
But years later, it remains a powerful image for Japan, one that is painted on the back of the violin.
Some of the worst-hit areas of the tsunami are still rebuilding.
Millions of tonnes of soil had to be brought in from higher ground to elevate the city centre at Rikuzentakata.
After the devastation, hundreds of Japanese violinists, from schoolchildren to seasoned professionals, played the tsunami violin.
The first performance came at a memorial service at Rikuzentakata six years ago.
The concert, to be held in Melba Hall on Friday, (march 16) is one of many examples of artists trying to help the community.
