In Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan, about 1800 volunteers took up ropes and moved the 360-ton keep of Hirosaki Castle more than two meters.
On Saturday they pulled the tower 1,13 meters, and on Sunday another 1,09 meters. People worked in shifts of 80 people, pulled 30-meter ropes, and chanted "so-re, so-re" — the traditional Japanese cry of "hey, ho."
The tower was placed on rails and the ancient hikiya method was used: the structure is moved entirely on rollers without dismantling. This preserves the national cultural asset that is the Hirosaki keep.
In 2015, the tower was already moved to repair a wall damaged by the 1983 earthquake. Now, after stonework is completed, it is being returned to its historic location.
There were four times as many applicants: about 8000 applications were received for 1800 spots. Among the volunteers are residents from all over Japan, as well as guests from Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America.
The manual move will continue until the end of August: in total, about 4100 people will shift the keep five meters. The remaining 73 meters will be completed by machinery by the end of the year.
Hirosaki Castle is one of twelve original keeps remaining in Japan and the only one in the Tohoku region. It was built in 1611 and rebuilt in 1810 after a lightning strike.
The project is primarily symbolic — it brings the community together around heritage preservation. The full return of the tower to its place and the castle's reopening to visitors are planned for 2033.
