In Japan, 1,800 people joined forces to move the 360-ton tower of Hirosaki Castle using the ancient method of hikiya. The event drew attention not only from local residents but also from volunteers around the world, reports infohub.kz.
Participants were divided into groups of 80, who took turns pulling ropes attached to the platform carrying the tower. Over the weekend, they managed to move the structure first by 1.13 meters and then by another 1.09 meters. Thus, the tower is returning to its historic location after the reconstruction of a wall damaged by an earthquake.
Instead of dismantling the ancient structure, authorities employed the traditional Japanese method of hikiya, in which buildings are moved on special rollers using ropes. This method preserves the historic building without destroying it.
There was no shortage of people willing to take part in the unusual event: for the 1,800 available spots, about 8,000 applications were submitted. Moreover, applications came not only from Japan but also from Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America.
Hirosaki Castle is one of only 12 surviving ancient castle towers in Japan and the only one in the Tohoku region. It was built in 1611 and has suffered destruction several times in its history, including a fire after a lightning strike in 1627. The current building dates to 1810.
Today, the castle is located in a popular park that attracts millions of tourists annually, especially during cherry blossom season. However, due to the large-scale reconstruction, the tower will be closed to visitors, presumably until 2033.
Earlier, Kursiv LifeStyle reported that the first Japanese park will open in Almaty, where they plan to plant cherry trees, ornamental apple trees, magnolias, maples, junipers, ginkgo, as well as traditional niwaki—trees shaped using Japanese techniques.