- Type
- Fortress · in ruins
- Built
- 1857 · 19th century
- Architect
- Takeda Ayasaburō
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 41.7969°, 140.7569°
History
After the Treaty of Kanagawa of 1854 opened Hakodate to foreign ships, the shogunate decided to move its magistrate's office to a safer site and strengthen the town's defences. The scholar Takeda Ayasaburō designed a fortress in the shape of a five-pointed star, modelled on European bastion fortifications; work began in 1857 and was completed in 1866. As early as 1868 it was seized by shogunate loyalists under Enomoto Takeaki, who proclaimed the Republic of Ezo. In 1869, after the Battle of Hakodate, they surrendered to the imperial forces; among those killed in the fighting was Hijikata Toshizō, former vice-commander of the Shinsengumi. The office buildings were dismantled in 1871, and the main hall was reconstructed in 2010.
What to see
The star-shaped ramparts and moats survive almost intact, and the park around them holds more than a thousand cherry trees. The best view of the fortress's geometric outline is from the observation deck of the 107-metre Goryōkaku Tower. Inside stands the Hakodate Magistrate's Office (Hakodate Bugyōsho), rebuilt using traditional carpentry, and an old armoury. You can walk around the moat, and in winter the ramparts are lit up with illuminations.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q1196357
Popularity: articles about this site in 26 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).