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.

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]

Media related to Goryokaku at Wikimedia Commons

• Japan Atlas: Goryokaku Fort

41°47′49″N 140°45′25″E / 41.79694°N 140.75694°E / 41.79694; 140.75694

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