360-Ton Hirosaki Castle Tower Moved by 1,800 People Pulling with Ropes

The 360-ton main tower of the historic Hirosaki Castle in northern Japan's Aomori Prefecture was pulled more than 2 meters closer to its original position using traditional methods with the participation of around 1,800 people as part of restoration efforts.

Traditional 'Hikiya' Method Used

After the restoration of the stone wall damaged in an earthquake was completed in December 2024, officials called on the public for help to move the castle's tower back to its original foundation. The traditional method called 'hikiya' was preferred, which allows the nationally protected historic structure to be moved by sliding on rollers and rails without being dismantled.

At the event held over the weekend, rotating groups of 80 people used 30-meter ropes to advance the tower on rails. The structure covered a distance of 1.13 meters on Saturday and 1.09 meters on Sunday.

High Participation and Future Plans

Kensuke Hayasaka, head of the Hirosaki City Government's Parks Division, stated that they received nearly 8,000 applications for the 1,800-person quota. It was noted that participants came not only from the city, but from across Japan and international regions such as Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America.

By the end of August, it is aimed to manually pull the structure 5 meters with the participation of a total of 4,100 people. The remaining distance of approximately 73 meters will be completed by the end of the year with the help of heavy machinery, and the structure is planned to reopen to visitors in 2033.