Goryōkaku

Goryōkaku
Goryōkaku
五稜郭
Part of Boshin War
Near Hakodate in Japan
	Goryōkaku viewed from Goryōkaku Tower
	Governmental hall of the Republic of Ezo
	Goryōkaku
Coordinates	41°47′49″N 140°45′25″E / 41.79694°N 140.75694°E
Type	Star fort
Site history
Built	1866
Built by	Takeda Ayasaburō
Battles/wars	Boshin 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] 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, a scholar of Dutch. ^[2] He studied the fortified cities of Europe in the early modern period to design a fort that could protect against battles using guns and cannons. It took nearly seven years for the construction.^[3] 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, he ordered Takeda Ayasaburō to design the fort in purpose to protect Tsugaru Strait.^[3] 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).

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

^ Hinago, Motoo (1986). Japanese Castles. Kodansha International Ltd. and Shibundo. pp. 131–133. ISBN 0870117661.
^ Schmorleitz, Morton S. (1974). Castles in Japan. C. E. Tuttle Company. p. 144. ISBN 0-8048-1102-4.
^ ^a ^b url=https://www.goryokaku-tower.co.jp/en/history/