4,000 Volunteers Manually Move 400-Ton Hirosaki Castle in Japan

Around 4,000 volunteers in Hirosaki, Japan, manually moved the 400-ton Hirosaki Castle nearly 5 meters (16.4 feet) back to its original site using the traditional hikiya method. The castle, originally built in 1611, had been relocated 80 meters in 2015 to repair its stone walls and improve earthquake resistance. The community effort, which took place over the last weekend of August, involved groups of about 80 people pulling the structure with ropes and rollers. The remaining 73 meters (240 feet) of the journey will be completed using machinery by the end of the year, with the castle expected to be permanently back in place by November. The event attracted thousands of applications from Japan and abroad, with participants selected by lottery. The castle served as the seat of the Tsugaru clan, a tozama daimyo family that ruled Hirosaki Domain. The move highlights the cultural significance of the castle and the power of community collaboration.