Volunteers Pull 400-Ton Historic Japanese Castle

More than a thousand lottery-selected volunteers have begun using ropes to physically haul Japan’s 400-ton Hirosaki Castle back to its original foundation. The national heritage site in Aomori Prefecture was temporarily relocated 11 years ago to undergo extensive structural renovations. Resting on a massive platform, the historic structure is being pulled five meters entirely by human power, with a total of 4,100 people expected to join the effort through August. Once the hand-pulled stretch is finished, construction machinery will take over to move the castle the remaining 73 meters by the end of the year.