Hirosaki Castle Keep Moves Back Toward Original Foundation Through Citizen-Powered Relocation

On August 23, a lottery-selected group of volunteers hauled the main tower of Hirosaki Castle in Aomori Prefecture along rails using 30-metre ropes. Kyodo News reported roughly 1,000 participants moved the structure about 1.09 m (?3 ft). The Guardian noted a larger effort the same weekend, with 1,800 volunteers shifting the keep a total of 2.22 m (just over 7 ft) over two days. The operation uses the traditional Japanese relocation method hikiya, which places structures on rollers rather than dismantling them.

The Guardian

Hirosaki Castle, completed in 1611 by the Tsugaru clan, is one of only 12 surviving feudal-era castle towers in Japan and the sole example in the Tohoku region. After a 1983 offshore earthquake revealed bulging stone walls, city officials lifted the roughly 400-ton keep in 2015 and moved it about 256 ft (78 m) away to repair the foundation. The recent pull marks the first citizen-driven hikiya since that relocation and the first time a Japanese castle has been moved by public volunteers in a century.

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• Weight of the keep: reported as 360 tonne and 400 tonne (Strait Times, local reports).

The Straits Times

• Volunteer participation: 8,000 applications for 1,800 slots; about 1,000 participants in the August 23 pull (Kyodo News).

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• Distance moved: 1.13 m on Saturday and 1.09 m on Sunday; 1.09 m on August 23 (Kyodo News).

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• Planned total movement: about 5 m through public pulls scheduled for later this month, after which machinery will shift the remaining 73 m by year-end.

The Guardian

• Future access: officials expect the castle to reopen to visitors in 2033.

The Guardian

Kensuke Hayasaka, head of the parks and green spaces division for Hirosaki City, said the oversubscribed volunteer program reflects nationwide interest, noting applications from Southeast Asia, Europe and North America. He emphasized that the keep’s status as a nationally designated important cultural property precludes dismantling, prompting the use of the traditional hikiya technique. Hayasaka added that once the keep returns to its original base, comprehensive preservation work will begin, with the entire structure slated to be covered over before reopening in 2033. Princess Hanako of Hitachi, a member of the imperial family with ancestral ties to the Tsugaru clan, attended the opening ceremony.

Daily Beast

• “We had about 8,000 applications for the 1,800 slots over the last two days, roughly four times oversubscribed, so not everyone could participate,” — Kensuke Hayasaka

The Guardian

• “Because the keep is a nationally designated important cultural property, we didn’t take it apart,” — Kensuke Hayasaka

The Guardian

A further public pulling event is scheduled for later this month, aiming to shift the keep an additional 5 m. After the volunteer phase, mechanical equipment will move the remaining 73 m of the tower back onto its original foundation, with completion targeted for the end of the calendar year. The preservation work that follows will culminate in the castle’s reopening to tourists in 2033.

The Guardian

Sources differ on the keep’s exact mass: The Guardian cites 360 tonne, while the Strait Times and local outlets describe it as 400 tonne. Distance-moved figures also vary, with The Guardian reporting a combined 2.22 m shift over two days and Kyodo News noting a single 1.09 m movement on August 23. No source provides a definitive final measurement, leaving the precise progress of the relocation open to clarification as the project proceeds.

The Straits Times