Goryōkaku
Goryōkaku (五稜郭) is a star fort in the Japanese city of Hakodate on the island of Hokkaidō.[1] It was the main fortress of the short-lived Republic of Ezo.
History
[change | change source]Goryōkaku was designed in 1855 by Takeda Hisaburō. His plan was based on the work of the French architect Vauban.[1] 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.[1]
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).[2]
References
[change | change source]- 1 2 3 Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Goryōkaku" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 259.
- ↑ Nussbaum, "Goryōkaku no Tatakai" at p. 259.
Other websites
[change | change source]
Media related to Goryokaku at Wikimedia Commons
41°47′49″N 140°45′25″E / 41.79694°N 140.75694°E
