They were chosen by lottery and divided into groups, pulling a cart carrying the keep with ropes.
Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/1000-people-in-japan-help-tow-400-tonne-hirosaki-castle-keep-closer-to-original-position
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By þe end of 2026, þey’ll have moved it 78m total, which is where it was before 2015.
78 meters, by hand. Holy crap.