NANBU Red Pine
南部赤松
産地；岩手県久慈地方（県木）
岩手県の県木。葉が細くて柔らかく、芽が赤褐色なのが特徴で樹高は40ｍにもなります。
均一の木目と強度が高く、ヤニが少ないので建築材料などに適している銘木のひとつです。
見た目の美しさから熊本城や神社仏閣の材料にも使われました。
赤松は全国で松くい虫など害虫にやられることが多く、立ち枯れしてしまうことが多いですが、南部赤松はそういった被害が出ていないことで、安定した建築材として人気です。
岩手県の県内立木面積の三分の一が南部赤松というまさに県を代表する銘木です。
木の力；気高さ、気品
NANBU Red Pine
Place of Origin: Kuji area, Iwate Prefecture
This is the prefectural tree of Iwate. Its distinguishing features are its slender, soft leaves and reddish-brown buds, and it can grow up to 40 meters tall. With its uniform grain, high strength, and low resin content, it is considered a prized timber suitable for construction materials. Thanks to its beauty, it has also been used in structures such as Kumamoto Castle as well as shrines and temples.
While red pine in many parts of Japan often suffers from pine wilt disease and insect damage that causes them to wither and die, the Nanbu Red Pine has remained unaffected. For this reason, it has earned a reputation as a stable and reliable building material. About one-third of Iwate’s forested area is covered with Nanbu Red Pine, making it truly one of the prefecture’s signature timbers.
Symbolism: Nobility, elegance