Experts OK wooden reconstruction of Hiroshima Castle keep

On February 6, a committee of experts agreed yesterday in principle to pursue the possibility of a wooden reconstruction of Hiroshima Castle’s main keep.

The current reconstruction, built of steel-framed reinforced concrete, has stood for over 60 years and does not comply with contemporary earthquake safety specifications.

The experts chose to build a new wooden structure over the other two options under discussion: retrofitting the current keep to be earthquake-resistant and demolition. In addition to the main keep, they also agreed to aim to restore all the castle towers, including the two smaller towers that no longer exist.

One thing they didn’t discuss was the thorny issue of the cost. The most recent estimate was made in 2021, and came to in excess of 13 billion yen (currently about 85.5 million US dollars).

Discussions are to continue in the next fiscal year.