Viral Video Shows Hirosaki Castle Keep Being Pulled by 1,800 Volunteers in Japan, Know Why 360-Tonne Structure Is Being Moved
Around 1,800 volunteers in Japan’s Aomori Prefecture manually pulled the 360-tonne keep of Hirosaki Castle more than two metres toward its original stone base. The citizen-led effort uses the ancient hikiya technique, with about 4,100 people expected to move the keep 5m by hand before machinery completes the remaining 73m by year-end.
Around 1,800 volunteers in Japan’s Aomori Prefecture have manually pulled the 360-tonne main keep of Hirosaki Castle more than two metres toward its original stone base as part of a major preservation project. The citizen-led effort saw the historic structure moved 1.13 metres on Saturday and another 1.09 metres on Sunday.
The volunteers were selected from about 8,000 applicants, with places for only 1,800 people over the first two days. Participants included Japanese citizens as well as people from south-east Asia, Europe and North America. The hand-pulling operation is part of a larger plan to move the keep a total of 78 metres during restoration work. Japan Earthquake: 5.9-Magnitude Quake Hits Eastern Japan, Tremors Felt in Tokyo; Several Injured.
1,800 People Move 396-Tonne Hirosaki Castle in Japan
弘前城天守曳戻しイベント【ひっぱれ げっばれ 弘前城】オープニングセレモニーを開催！
300機のドローン映像で弘前の四季の彩と弘前城を表現しています。 pic.twitter.com/L9mz6HMw1W
— 弘前市長 谷川政人 (@TanikawaMasato) August 21, 2026
How The Volunteers Moved The 360-Tonne Keep
The volunteers worked in rotating teams of 80 people, pulling on a 30-metre rope attached to the keep as the structure moved along rails. “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, head of the parks and green spaces division at Hirosaki City, told the Guardian.
The operation is being conducted using hikiya, an ancient Japanese building-relocation technique in which structures are placed on rollers or rails and moved without being dismantled. “Because the keep is a nationally designated important cultural property, we didn’t take it apart,” Hayasaka said. “We’re using hikiya, a building-relocation method that has existed in Japan since ancient times.”
Hirosaki Castle Relocation Event Continues
The opening ceremony for the relocation project, titled “Hipparé! Kepparé! Hirosaki Castle,” was attended by Her Imperial Highness Princess Kazuko of Hitachi and Shin Tsugaru, the 15th head of the Tsugaru clan.
“The opening ceremony of the Hirosaki Castle Main Keep Relocation Event “Hipparé! Kepparé! Hirosaki Castle,” which will be held until August 28, took place. Her Imperial Highness Princess Kazuko of Hitachi attended the ceremony, and Mr. Shin Tsugaru, the 15th head of the Tsugaru clan, also graced the event, where the initial pull of the main keep was carried out,” the mayor of Hirosaki posted on X.
The citizen-led pulling will continue through the end of August. About 4,100 people are scheduled to take part in moving the keep by hand a total of five metres. The remaining 73 metres will be completed with machinery by the end of the year.
Why Hirosaki Castle Is Being Moved
The keep is being moved to allow restoration work on the castle’s stone walls. The preservation project began in 2015, when the first citizen-driven hikiya operation was carried out at the site. That project was significant because it marked the first time in about a century that the traditional technique had been used to move a castle.
After restoration of the walls was completed in December 2024, all 2,185 stones were returned to their original positions. City officials then sought residents’ participation for a second hikiya operation to move the keep back toward its original foundation.
A Castle With More Than 200 Years Of History
Hirosaki Castle was completed in 1611 and served as the seat of the Tsugaru clan. The original keep was destroyed in 1627 after lightning struck a gunpowder store and triggered a fire. The present keep was rebuilt in 1810, making it more than 200 years old.
The structure is one of only 12 surviving castle keeps of its kind in Japan and is the only one in the country’s north-eastern Tohoku region. Today, Hirosaki Castle sits within a park that attracts about two million visitors during the cherry-blossom season.
When Will Hirosaki Castle Reopen?
The ongoing restoration means tourists cannot currently access the castle’s main keep. “As things stand, we expect it to reopen to visitors in 2033,” Hayasaka noted.
The long-term project combines traditional construction techniques, modern machinery and public participation to preserve one of Japan’s historic castle structures while returning the keep to its original position.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 26, 2026 04:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
