1,000 people pull 400-ton castle keep toward its original position

About 1,000 people in Japan joined forces on Sunday to help pull the roughly 400-ton keep of Hirosaki Castle back toward its original position, more than a decade after the historic structure was moved nearly 78 meters for repairs. Participants in Aomori Prefecture were divided into groups and used ropes to pull a cart carrying the castle keep, moving the massive structure 109 centimeters closer to its original location. The unusual public event is part of a major restoration project aimed at returning the keep to where it stood before its relocation in 2015. About 4,000 people are scheduled to participate in similar events, with the public effort expected to move the keep about 5 meters in total as the centuries-old castle begins its journey home. [...] The keep’s interior has been closed to visitors since November 2025 and is expected to remain closed for several years while further preservation work is carried out, meaning the remarkable return journey is only one stage in the long-term effort to protect the historic castle.