Goryōkaku

Star fort in Hakodate, Japan

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41°47′49″N 140°45′25″E / 41.79694°N 140.75694°E / 41.79694; 140.75694TypeStar fortSite historyBuilt1866Built byTakeda AyasaburōBattles/warsBoshin War

19th century map of Goryōkaku

Goryōkaku (五稜郭, lit. 'five-point fort') is a star fort in the Japanese city of Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido.^[1]^[2] The fortress was completed in 1866. It was the main headquarters of the short-lived Republic of Ezo.

History

Goryōkaku was designed in 1855 by Takeda Ayasaburō. His plan was based on the work of the French architect Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban.^[1] The fortress was completed in 1866, two years before the collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate. It is shaped like a five-pointed star. This allowed for greater numbers of gun emplacements on its walls than a traditional Japanese fortress, and reduced the number of blind spots where a cannon could not fire.

The fort was built by the Tokugawa shogunate to protect Tsugaru Strait against a possible invasion by the Russian fleet.^[1] It became the capital of the Republic of Ezo, a state that existed only in 1869. It was the site of the last battle of the Boshin War between the Republic and the Empire of Japan. The fighting lasted for a week (June 20–27, 1869).^[1]

Park

Today, Goryōkaku is a park declared as a Special Historical Site, being a part of the Hakodate city museum and a citizens' favorite spot for cherry-blossom viewing in spring.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2002). Goryōkaku. Translated by Kathe Roth. London, England: Harvard University Press. p. 259. ISBN 0-674-00770-0. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^ Hinago, Motoo (1986). Japanese Castles. Kodansha International Ltd. and Shibundo. pp. 131–133. ISBN 0870117661.