SilkCode LibraryCastles of Japan
No. 002Hokkaido & TohokuHokkaido

Goryokaku

五稜郭

Ruins & historic sites

Five projecting bastions give this Western-style fort its star-shaped plan. Inside the moat and ramparts, the reconstructed Hakodate Magistrate’s Office recalls the administration of the treaty port.

The star-shaped moat and ramparts of Goryokaku seen from above
The star-shaped moat and ramparts of Goryokaku seen from abovePhoto: lumoplank · CC0 · Resized and converted to WebP. Cards crop the display.This photograph shows the site at the time it was taken. Check the notes and official sources for current restoration work and access.

Get to know the castle

Castle at a glance

Site & layout
Western-style bastioned fort
Origins
Work began in 1857; office moved here in 1864
Builders & patrons
Tokugawa shogunate; designed by Takeda Ayasaburo
Other names
—
What remains today
Moat and ramparts; the office is a modern reconstruction

THE STORY

The story behind the walls

The shogunate commissioned a Western-style fort designed by Takeda Ayasaburo to administer and defend Hakodate after the port opened. Work began in 1857, and the magistrate’s office moved here in 1864. Former shogunal forces occupied it in 1868 before their defeat in the Hakodate War in 1869. The office was dismantled in 1871 and partially reconstructed in 2010.

LAYOUT & ARCHITECTURE

Read the landscape and the buildings.

Five bastions and the surrounding moat form an integrated defensive perimeter. This differs from a Japanese layout arranged around a central keep. A Japanese-style government office within that perimeter reflects the mixed technologies and institutions of the late shogunate.

A CLOSER LOOK

Details worth a closer look.

01

Star-shaped bastions

Following the pointed outline reveals a defensive plan unlike a rectangular enclosure. The moat traces the geometry of the bastions.

02

Magistrate’s Office

The present building was reconstructed in 2010 using documentary and archaeological evidence. It helps connect the fort’s military form with its administrative purpose.

03

Moat and ramparts

Goryokaku has no Japanese-style keep. Its moat and ramparts make the entire fortified enclosure the main subject of a visit.

THROUGH THE YEARS

A short timeline

  1. 1857

    Construction began.

  2. 1869

    The Hakodate War ended.

  3. 2010

    The reconstructed magistrate’s office opened.

BEFORE YOU GO

A note before you go.

The park and the magistrate’s office have different visiting arrangements. Check the official city and office information for opening dates, admission and accessible areas.

Official visitor information ↗Find it on a map ↗

Information checked: 27 September 2026

Sources & official information

Some official sources are available in Japanese only.

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