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.1,000 people pull 400-ton castle keep toward its original positionThe rope-pulling event took place at Hirosaki Castle in Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on August 23, with about 1,000 people selected by lottery taking part.

Participants were divided into groups and pulled ropes attached to a cart carrying the roughly 400-ton keep.