Japan's tower of Hirosaki Castle, a state-designated important cultural asset, is being towed dozens of meters away from its original location as part of a project to repair its stone walls.

Located in Hirosaki, the tower will be moved about 70 metres in an operation set to take more than two months. After the walls are repaired, it will be moved back to its original position.

Work to move a castle tower has rarely been seen in other parts of the country, and the Hirosaki city government hopes to attract more tourists by allowing the public to watch the operation.

Hirosaki Castle belonged to the Tsugaru feudal domain, and its present tower was built in 1810 in the late Edo period (1603-1867). Hirosaki Castle Park is famous for its cherry blossoms.

Recently, the stone walls have been deteriorating, with stones beginning to stick out, prompting fears of collapse.

The tower of Hirosaki Castle in Japan is being towed dozens of metres away to repair its stone walls. Photo: THE JAPAN NEWS/YOMIURI

The moving operation involves lifting the tower, about 14 meters tall and weighing 400 tonnes, with jacks and putting it on a flat trailer that runs on rails. The tower will be towed one metre a day and finally moved to the backyard of the inner citadel, about 70 metres away. The move is scheduled to be finished in late October.

Work will then be carried out to repair the walls. The tower will be returned to its original position around 2021.

The tower was also moved in 1897 to restore collapsed stone walls. Those repairs was completed in 1915, almost exactly 100 years ago.

Concerned that the number of tourists to Hirosaki Castle may decrease while the work is underway, the Hirosaki municipal government plans to promote it as "a once-in-a-century castle building project."

The city government will build a temporary observation platform from which visitors can see how the work is being carried out.

The Washington Post