About 1,800 people are manually pulling the Hirosaki Castle keep in northern Japan to return it toward its original position [1].
The effort combines large-scale community participation with the preservation of ancient engineering. By using human power instead of modern machinery, the project maintains the historical integrity of the site while engaging the public in the restoration of a cultural landmark.
Located in Aomori Prefecture, the castle keep weighs roughly 360 tonnes [2]. The operation utilizes the traditional hikiya technique, which involves a system of rollers, and ropes to slide the massive structure across the ground [1]. The participants were selected through a lottery system to join the pull [1].
This movement is part of a long-term restoration process. The keep was originally moved in 2015 to allow workers to repair stone walls that had been damaged by earthquakes [4]. Now that the repairs are complete, the current operation aims to bring the keep more than two metres closer to where it historically stood [3].
The pulling operation began in August 2026 and is scheduled to continue until the end of August 2026 [1], [5]. The use of the hikiya method allows the heavy structure to be moved without the risk of damaging the fragile historic foundations that modern cranes or engines might jeopardize.
Volunteers worked in coordinated groups, pulling the ropes in unison to shift the 360-tonne weight [2]. The event serves as both a technical necessity for the castle's layout and a public demonstration of traditional Japanese labor, and cooperation.
“About 1,800 people are manually pulling the Hirosaki Castle keep”
The relocation of the Hirosaki Castle keep demonstrates a preference for traditional preservation methods over modern industrial shortcuts. By employing the hikiya technique, Japan preserves intangible cultural heritage—the knowledge of how to move massive objects by hand—while ensuring the physical stability of a site previously compromised by seismic activity.
