A Spirit of Trust: Prisoners Make a Miracle Return

The perimeter wall and cellblocks were destroyed in a matter of moments.

The barracks-style guards’ quarters. A derailed tram can be seen in the distance.

Seen off by residents, inmates board boats to transfer them to the battleship Yūbari.

Miyagi Prison was completed in 1879. The wooden cellblocks are modelled on the Leuven prison in Belgium. The single-story building in the background is the workhouse.

Prisoners at work in the mid-1800s.