1,800 Volunteers Roll a 400-Tonne Castle Keep Home Using Traditional Japanese Method

In Aomori, about 1,800 people pulled Hirosaki Castle's 400-tonne keep across rails using hikiya — a century-old Japanese technique that moves buildings intact instead of dismantling them. The keep was shifted in 2015 for stone-wall repairs; all 2,185 stones were restacked by December 2024. Citizen hand-pulling runs through August; machinery will finish the remaining 73 metres. Reopening is expected in 2033.