The 27-meter-tall pine, which also survived major tsunami in 1896 and 1933, had been thought by some local people to be 260 years old. “It’s no wonder the tree was earlier thought to be older than 200 because of its huge size,” said Kyoto University professor emeritus Takao Ito, who assessed the age.
But there is still a possibility that the tree, which has become a symbol of Japan’s reconstruction, may be somewhat older than 173 and a reassessment is under way, according to the Rikuzentakata city office.
The tree eventually died because its roots were decayed by seawater. It was felled and restored in sections. Officials plan to stand it back up at its original coastal site on March 11, the second anniversary of the disaster.