The moving castle is inching back into place.
When we think about castles, these imposing, even majestic fortified structures, the one thing we don’t associate them with is mobility.
So, the thought of thousands of people gathered to haul a castle into position contradicts our deep cultural sense of castles as emblems of an unmoving, fixed era.
People pulling the immovable. Ropes, levers, and bodies moving the very symbol of stasis
But that’s just what happened in Aomori, where, after 11 years sitting off-site, the keep of Hirosaki Castle is being pulled into its proper place by an army of volunteers.
Unos 1.800 voluntarios participaron en Hirosaki, Japón, en una singular jornada para desplazar el torreón de un castillo, de unas 360 toneladas, tirando de cuerdas.
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The Japan News reported:
“The keep in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, was removed so that stone walls could be repaired, and work is now underway to return it. An event in which the keep, which weighs about 400 tons, is pulled by rope, shifting it several centimeters at a time, is also being held.
In 2015, the keep was moved to a temporary platform, 78 meters away from the national historic site. The work to move it back began in June, after repairs were finished on the stone walls, and is scheduled to wind up in November.
The event, which started Aug. 21, will be held through Friday, with about 4,000 people expected to participate.”