Special Historic Site, Goryokaku Fort
A tragedy too beautiful to be true
Goryokaku is a star-shaped pentagon with five corners called ryoho, and this unusual shape was inspired by "fortified cities" invented in Europe around the 16th century. There are only two castle ruins in Japan with a similar shape: Hakodate Goryokaku and Tatsuoka Castle Goryokaku in Saku, Nagano Prefecture, It is an extremely valuable structure.
In 1868 (the first year of Meiji), the Hakodate War, the final battle of the Boshin War, took place here, and the Hakodate castle was occupied by the forces of the former shogunate led by Takeaki Enomoto, who had deserted from the shogunate. Shiryokaku, which had been hastily built by the deserters to defend Goryokaku's Toshogu Shrine, fell within half a day, and the defeat of the deserters was decisive.
In 1952 (Showa 27), it became Hokkaido's only nationally designated special historic site, and was selected as a Hokkaido Heritage Site as "Goryokaku and the Remains of the Battle of Hakodate. Goryokaku Tower is located right next to the 125,000-square-meter Goryokaku, which is about three times the size of Tokyo Dome, and offers a beautiful view of the Goryokaku shape from above.
- * Please note that the text shown on this page includes machine translations.
- Nearest airports
General Information
- Address
- 北海道函館市五稜郭町44
- Telephone Number
- 0138-21-3456（Hakodate Board of Education, Cultural Properties Division）
- Open
- [Park admission] (Apr.-Oct.) 5:00-19:00, (Nov.-Mar.) 5:00-18:00
- Prices
- Free (Hakodate Magistrate's Office requires an admission fee)
- Car Park
- None (Use paid parking lot)
- Directions
- ●On foot: About 15 minutes from Goryokaku Koen-mae tram stop
●By car: About 15 minutes from JR Hakodate Station - Website
* Information on facilities is subject to change. Please check each official website for the latest information.
