Archive · 26 Aug 2026
Volunteers Pull Hirosaki Castle Back Toward Its Original Position
People in northern Japan helped move part of an old castle with ropes.
The castle tower is very heavy, weighing roughly 360 to 400 tonnes in different reports.
Workers put it on rails and rollers so they could move it without taking it apart.
This traditional Japanese method is called hikiya.
The tower had been moved away from its original place so its stone walls and foundation could be repaired.
About 1,800 people pulled it more than two metres during one weekend.
Later reports said that around 4,000 people had helped move it nearly five metres in total.
Machines are expected to finish the move, and more repairs will follow.
Visitors may be able to enter the tower again in 2033.
About 1,800 volunteers pulled Hirosaki Castle’s keep more than two metres during an initial weekend effort.
Reports describe the keep as weighing between 360 and 400 tonnes, with one account giving 396 tonnes.
Participants used 30-metre ropes, rails and rollers while chanting “so-re, so-re” under the traditional hikiya method.
The keep was moved about 80 metres in 2015 so workers could repair its stone walls and foundation; restoration used all 2,185 stones.
Manual pulling is planned to move the keep five metres, machinery will move the remaining roughly 73 metres, and reopening is expected in 2033.
- Who
- About 1,800 volunteers initially pulled the Hirosaki Castle keep; later reports said roughly 4,000 people had participated, including people from Japan and overseas.
- What
- They moved the castle keep toward its original position using ropes and the traditional hikiya relocation technique.
- When
- The initial effort took place over a weekend and continued over the following days; machinery is planned for later in the year.
- Where
- Hirosaki Castle in Aomori Prefecture, northern Japan.
- Why
- The keep is being returned after workers repaired its damaged stone walls and foundation, with further preservation work planned.
- Reported weight
- Reports describe the keep as weighing 360 tonnes, 396 tonnes or about 400 tonnes.
- Initial participation
- About 1,800 people took part in the first two days, from roughly 8,000 applicants.
- Reported movement
- The initial weekend movement totaled 2.22 metres; a later report said the keep had moved nearly five metres.
- Relocation method
- Hikiya, an ancient technique that moves buildings on rails or rollers without dismantling them.
- 2015 move
- The keep was moved roughly 78 to 80 metres in 2015 to allow repairs to the stone walls and foundation.
- Stone restoration
- The damaged wall was completed in December 2024, with all 2,185 stones returned to their original positions.
- Future plans
- Manual pulling is intended to cover five metres, machinery the remaining roughly 73 metres, and the keep is expected to reopen in 2033.
