Japan: 1,800 People Pull 360-Tonne Hirosaki Castle Keep by Hand
About 1,800 volunteers pulled the 400-ton keep using ropes, and officials said the castle is expected to reopen in 2033 after preservation work.
- More than a thousand people gathered in Aomori Prefecture to pull Japan's historic Hirosaki Castle back to its original site, marking the final stage of a decade-long project to preserve the 400-year-old structure.
- Known as "hikiya," this human-powered operation is a traditional technique for moving structures that has existed in Japan since ancient times, and officials say manually moving the castle honours the craftsmanship of its original builders.
- Japanese officials estimate around 4,000 people have participated in moving the tower, with groups of about 80 taking turns. "It's like trying to move a mountain," Hirosaki resident Takahiro Kogawa told AFP.
- The municipality will deploy heavy machinery in September to complete the journey after the human-powered phase advances the structure by nearly five metres, with full reopening of this Edo period masterpiece scheduled for 2033.
- Supporters wearing T-shirts reading "The Return of Hirosaki Castle 2026" celebrated the tower being securely fixed before winter, as Hayasaka noted the team wanted everyone to "experience history physically.
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In Japan, 4,000 volunteers are currently moving the Hirosaki Castle after restoration work. The operation is based on a secular Japanese technique called "hikiya". A team of TF1 explains to you. - "Truly impressive": thanks to the technique of "hikiya", the Japanese move a castle... to the strength of the arms (International).
They are thousands to pull from all their forces on huge ropes to advance... a castle. In Japan, almost 4,000 people take turns to move a few centimetres at a time.
In the Tohoku region of Japan, a keep of Hirosaki Castle has been restored. Only 12 of these structures remain. In total, approximately 4,100 people will symbolically move the keep 5 meters; subsequently, the structure will be moved 73 meters using machines.
Some 1,800 people participated in an unusual historical conservation operation to manually move a 360-ton watchtower from Hirosaki Castle in Aomori Prefecture, Japan.
Japan Recruited 1,800 People to Pull a 396-Ton Castle Back into Place, and the Video Is Wild
In 2015, an ancient Japanese castle was moved to repair a vital stone wall. With that repair finally completed, it needed to be moved back, so Japan recruited 1,800 people to essentially play tug-of-war with a castle. According to The Guardian, the mission required volunteers to haul the 396-ton keep of Hirosaki Castle six feet […] The post Japan Recruited 1,800 People to Pull a 396-Ton Castle Back into Place, and the Video Is Wild appeared firs…
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