• About
  • Featured
  • Home
 
Muza-chan's Gate to Japan
12 years of travel throughout Japan
Discover Japan through the eyes of a seasoned traveler
  • A Japan photo per day
  • Travel in Japan
  • Customs & traditions
  • Japanese food
  • Japanese history
  •  Anime & otaku
  • Did you know?

The star-shaped fort, Goryokaku

Wed, October 15, 2014, by Muza-chan

Shaped like a star, the Goryokaku fort is a unique appearance among the Japanese historical military fortifications. Built 160 years ago by the Tokugawa shogunate, its Western-style design was conceived by Takeda Ayasaburō, inspired by the French military engineer Vauban.

Goryokaku was originally planned to protect the Tsugaru Strait against the Russian fleet, but remained in history because of the Boshin civil war, when it was the place of the last battle between the former Tokugawa retainers and the Imperial Army.

After the war, the fort was completely demolished and today is just a park, but it still retains its original, five-pointed star shape…

Click on photo for higher resolution:
Goryokaku fort, View from Goryokaku Tower, Hakodate
Goryokaku fort, View from Goryokaku Tower, Hakodate
If you want to license my photos for commercial use, please contact me

EXIF Info:

Nikon D700
Lens: 14mm F/2.8D
Focal Length: 14mm
Aperture: F/8
Shutter Speed: 1/400s
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 200
Romantic night in Aomori, Bay Bridge illumination
Yesterday’s Japan Photo:

Romantic night in Aomori, Bay Bridge illumination



  •  
     
    • # Sakura, cherry blossoms

    • # Kyoto travel

    • # Travel tips for visiting Japan

    • # Tokyo travel

    •  
    • # Modern Japanese architecture

    • # Japanese gardens

    • # The 12 surviving Japanese castles

    • # Japanese manhole covers

    •  
    • # Castles in Japan

    • # Traditional Japanese house

    • # Trains in Japan

    •  
    • # Night time photos from Japan

    • # Zen gardens

    • # The 12 surviving Japanese castles

  • Traveled areas 2007-2017
  • Creative Commons License
    Photos and text by Muza-chan are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
    If you quote or use photos from this site, you must give appropriate credit and a link to the site:
    "Based on a work at muza-chan.net"
    Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available by contacting us (privacy policy).