Volunteers pull 400-tonne Japanese castle back into place

Have you ever wondered how many people it would take to move a castle?

It turns out, the answer is thousands!

Volunteers in the northern Japanese city of Hirosaki, have been helping to pull a 400-tonne castle back to its original position.

Using ropes, groups of around 80 people have been taking turns to shift the building a few centimetres at a time, with around 4,000 people in total involved in the project.

Originally built in 1611, Hirosaki Castle's three-storey wooden tower was moved around 80 metres in 2015.

This was so that repairs could be carried out on the building after it was damaged by an earthquake.

At the time, engineers moved the tower in one piece, lifting it onto metal rails and placing it on a temporary platform.

Now, volunteers have been helping to pull it back towards its original position using ropes.

Local officials estimate that around 4,000 people in total have taken part, moving the structure nearly five metres so far.

The people-powered part of the latest move is due to finish this week, with heavy machinery set to complete the remainder of the journey next month.

The tower is expected to be permanently back in place by November.