Hiroshima: Castle’s Keep Could Be Rebuilt in Wood

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:01 JST, February 7, 2026

HIROSHIMA — A plan to rebuild Hiroshima Castle’s keep using wood is under consideration. If undertaken, the project would restore the castle’s traditional appearance using authentic materials.

The original keep, which is thought to have been completed around 1590, was designated a national treasure in 1931. However, the castle was destroyed by the atomic bomb in August 1945, and the current tower was constructed from reinforced concrete in 1958.

More than 60 years on, that tower is showing signs of age. Following revelations that the keep was at risk of collapsing in an earthquake similar to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the decision was made to temporarily close the castle to the public from March 22 this year. The tower will not be torn down for the time being, so visitors will still be able to view the exterior.

In 2020, residents formed a group calling for the keep to be rebuilt with wood. The next year, they submitted to the mayor a petition signed by about 20,000 people. That led to a committee of experts being established. The preferred option involves rebuilding several of the castle’s buildings entirely from wood, including the main castle tower, the smaller, three-story eastern and southern towers, and corridors that connect these towers.

Unlike with concrete, which has a fixed lifespan, a wooden reconstruction could be maintained through regular repairs and also provide significant educational value. At the earliest, the city government believes the new keep could be completed by fiscal 2049, given the time required to complete designs and other work.

“Restoring the entire group of structures would showcase what was, at the time, very advanced architecture,” a Hiroshima city government official said. “We’ll conduct further research and seek to secure funds to improve the project’s odds of success.”