Goryōkaku, Star fortress in Hakodate, Japan.
Goryōkaku is a star-shaped fortress ruin in Hakodate, on the island of Hokkaidō in northern Japan. Water-filled moats run along each of its five angular bastions, and stone ramparts define the interior grounds where administrative buildings once stood.
The structure was built in the 1860s as the first Western-style military fortification in Japan. Forces loyal to the Tokugawa shogunate took refuge here in winter 1868–1869 before surrendering to the new Meiji government after a siege lasting several weeks.
The site contains over 1000 cherry trees along its moats, making it a primary location for spring flower viewing in northern Japan.
The park remains open year-round and can be reached on foot in about ten minutes from the tram stop at Goryōkaku Kōen-mae. Visitors can walk along the ramparts that follow the moat perimeter or use staircases to enter the interior grounds of the former fortress.
A viewing tower next to the grounds offers a perspective from above on the geometric star pattern, which is difficult to see when standing at ground level. The five bastions were originally constructed from earth and timber before stone reinforcements were added later.
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