Photo/Illutration The “miracle pine tree” on a beach in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, in December 2011. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

NAGOYA--The lone "miracle pine tree" that survived the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami but later died will take on a new life here.

The city government of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, which was hit hard by the disaster, will present a grafted seedling of the tree to Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, as a gesture of appreciation.

The Nagoya city government dispatched many of its personnel to Rikuzentakata in the years following the disaster.

The two cities have had a friendship agreement since 2014.

The tree was the only one standing on a beach in the city after the tsunami inundated the coastal region on March 11, 2011, but it later died due to excess salinity in its roots from seawater.

Dubbed the "miracle pine tree," it was erected back into place as a memorial in 2013 and has since stood as a symbol of loss and resilience.

Branches from the tree have been grafted onto other trees, and seven grafted seedlings have been grown at a research organization in Iwate Prefecture and farm in Saitama Prefecture. One of these will be donated to Nagoya next year.

The Nagoya government plans to plant the seedling around autumn 2020, with the location yet to be determined.

The seedling is also expected to produce offspring, which will be planted in locations associated with Rikuzentakata to memorialize the disaster and deepen ties between the two cities.

The city unveiled the plan during a plenary session of the Nagoya city assembly after Kazuhide Fujita, a city assembly member, asked a question on Nov. 28.

Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura said after the plenary session, “I hope the tree will be cherished for 1,000 years and that everybody sees it.”