After the Japan tsunami had swept away a forest of 70,000 pine trees, a lone pine tree stood as a symbol of hope. The pine tree will now be cut down with an intention of preserving it.
The tree became popular and was called as ‘miracle pine’ which will now be sliced in to pieces and will be treated before being put together. The process is expected to cost about 150 million yen. The process began on September 12, 2012 and a Shinto ritual was carried out on the pine before the delicate process began.
The shore at Rikusentakata is a city which was badly hit by tsunami by the March 11, 2011 disaster. Shinya Kitajima, a city official said, “The process of cutting down could take two days or more, as we need to start cutting branches that can eventually be put back on the trunk”.
The official also said the trunk of the 27 meter tree will be divided in to nine sections which will be hollowed out and given an anti decay treatment before it is assembled using w carbon spine. Even Facebook page was launched earlier this year to seek donations towards the cost of preserving the pine and had raised about 27 million yen.
