About 1,800 volunteers and local officials pulled the main keep of Hirosaki Castle using ropes and rollers this week [1].
The event blends modern restoration with ancestral tradition, engaging the local community in the physical relocation of a landmark after extensive repair work.
Located in Aomori Prefecture, the castle keep was moved using the traditional "hikiya" technique [1], [2]. This method relies on human strength and mechanical advantage through rollers to shift massive weights. The volunteers hauled the structure more than two meters by hand [1] before machinery took over to complete the final placement.
Reports on the exact weight of the keep vary between 360 tonnes [1] and 400 tonnes [2]. The effort required a massive coordination of people, with some reports citing hundreds of volunteers while others specify the number at 1,800 [1], [2].
The manual pull served as a symbolic gesture of community effort. While heavy machinery is necessary for the precision and safety of the final installation, the initial movement by hand honors the historical methods used to build and move such structures in ancient Japan.
Local officials joined the volunteers in the effort to ensure the keep returned to its original destination. The event took place following the completion of necessary repairs to the historic site [1].
“About 1,800 volunteers and local officials pulled the main keep of Hirosaki Castle using ropes and rollers”
The use of the 'hikiya' technique is less about engineering necessity and more about cultural preservation. By involving the public in the physical movement of the castle, the region reinforces a collective identity and maintains a tangible link to the labor-intensive construction methods of Japan's feudal era.
