Saturday, March 2, 2013

Idiosyncratic Japan: "Miracle Pine" Back in Rikuzentakata, Onlooker Feels Power and Strength


The bottom part of the trunk had already been installed on February 12, 2013, and now the entire trunk is up, with the steel rod in the core and secured by glue.

According to NHK (the link has the news clip), a woman in her 60s who came to see the work said she felt power and strength from the dead tree.

The mummified pine tree was installed in the same location where it had stood for 175 years before damaged irreparably by the March 11, 2011 tsunami and died. On February 6, fake leaves and branches made out of special resin will be attached to the trunk.

From NHK, the tree trunk being installed by a crane:


From Yomiuri Shinbun local Kanagawa version (2/28/2013), fake leaves and branches ready to be attached; they were made by a company in Sagamihara City in Kanagawa:


It is really none of my business if the city residents would rather resurrect a dead and mummified tree as their symbol, than actually resurrecting their city from rubble and desolation It's their choice, but my cheer and support would go to the latter.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe they are on to something. As living things die little by little they can all be replaced by plastic resin crap. It can be done for the whole countryside! Think of how many jobs this can generate and it will give a boost to Japan's ailing economy. Once others see how cool and maintenance free this stuff is, everybody will be wanting some. There's nothing like plastic resin crap in the guise of natural beauty to instil the awe of power and strength. Soon sakura blossoms can be enjoyed all year round!

Anonymous said...

It's symbolic of how modern society tries so hard to look nice on the outside whilst rotting on the inside.

Shadowfax said...

They are kinda missing the point...it was only a miracle pine when it was alive.
Now it's dead alright? It's not pining for the fiords.it's dead.
Chop it up and burn it like all the other radioactive waste.

Anonymous said...

This dead 'alive looking' tree is very symbolic for most the people over there or in the rest of Japan, they are basicly brain dead, but looking alive...

Amya said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Most Japanese I know find this creepy, not in their culture or mentality to not just preserve the dead but display the preserved dead.

Anonymous said...

At least it'll never need pruning.

Anonymous said...

Plastic tree have been tried elsewhere already: no need to water nor prune them.

Very convenient.

Until they realized the trees need to be *dusted* periodically, otherwise they will look like garbage.

The money spent to mummify the pine could have been spent more wisely; planting a young pine would have been cheaper and more cheering.

Anonymous said...

This tree is a reflection of Japan , dead but trying to look alive .... i wish they just stuck their stupid fucking tree up their asses and save the people dying in Fukushima..

Anonymous said...

unbelievable.
a famous "Miracle Pine" tree survived for almost two centuries,
so it was a symbol of strength and power -
a symbol for Japanese people that whatever happens, "we will survive."

But now it's dead.
So a decision was made to prop it up with a steel pole inside,
plasticize and 'mummify" the dead tree with resins,
and attach fake tree limbs, so the tree looks alive but it's dead.
Thus becoming a more powerful symbol than ever before.

Anonymous said...

Could embalming the mangled Fukushima reactors in plastic resin be the answer???

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