Goryōkaku

is a star fort in the Japanese city of Hakodate on the island of Hokkaidō.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Goryōkaku" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 259. It was the main fortress of the short-lived Republic of Ezo.

 History 
Goryōkaku was designed in 1855 by Takeda Hisaburō.  His plan was based on the work of the French architect Vauban.  The fort 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 the Tsugaru Strait against a possible invasion by the Russian fleet.  

Goryōkaku is famous as the site of the last battle of the Boshin War (Goryōkaku no Tatakai).  The fighting lasted for a week (June 20-27 1869).Nussbaum, "Goryōkaku no Tatakai" at p. 259.

References

Other websites

Japan Atlas: Goryokaku Fort

Category:Buildings and structures in Hokkaido