CastleFlatland castle (hirajiro)Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 2
What makes this castle distinctive
From above it is a giant star ringed by a moat: a fort the shogunate built on the European model, designed for the age of cannon.
Why?
Unlike Japanese castles with a tall keep, Goryokaku is a "Western-style earthwork": a star of earthen ramparts with five projecting points called bastions. The shape was developed in Europe around the 16th century so defenders on each point could fire on attackers from the front and the side at once. According to Hakodate City, only two forts of this type exist in Japan: Goryokaku and Tatsuoka Castle in Nagano.[1][4][11]
The observation deck (90 m up) of Goryokaku Tower, just south of Goryokaku Park.
What to look at
The five pointed ramparts, the moat around them, and the single triangular outwork (hangetsubo) at the front, on the southwest side.
Why it's interesting
From the ground you see only banks and water, but from above the star design is obvious at a glance. The plan originally called for five triangular outworks, but money ran short and only the one at the front was built, which you can also confirm from the deck.[1][2][4][14]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideThe tower's observation deck charges admission (check Goryokaku Tower for prices). The park itself is free.
02
The overhanging stone walls and the front outwork
Where
The southwest front: cross Ichi-no-hashi bridge into the outwork, then Ni-no-hashi bridge into the fort.
What to look at
At the top of the stone walls, the second row of stones from the top juts outward (hanedashi). Also look for the mikakushirui, screening mounds in front of each entrance.
Why it's interesting
The overhang, also called mushagaeshi ("warrior repeller"), makes the wall hard to climb from outside and is a signature feature of Goryokaku's stonework. The walls at the main front were built higher than elsewhere. Stone was added from 1859 because the earthen moat walls kept freezing and collapsing in the cold.[1][2][4]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideFreely visible during the park's opening hours.
The Hakodate Magistrate's Office, rebuilt after 140 years
Where
In the center of the fort.
What to look at
The drum tower on the roof (16.5 m high), the zelkova beam over the entrance, the large tatami hall, and the room layouts marked out on the ground around the building.
Why it's interesting
Goryokaku was built first of all to protect a government office, the Hakodate Magistrate's Office of the shogunate. The building was taken down in 1871, but using old photos, plans and excavations, about 1,000 m2, roughly a third of the original, was rebuilt in wood in 2010. The rooms not rebuilt are marked out on the ground.[3][4][5][6][9]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsidePaid admission for the interior. Shoes off inside; large bags are not allowed.
At a glance for visitors
Nearest station
18 min walk from Goryokaku-koen-mae tram stop (Hakodate City Tram)
Climb
No climb
Time neededEditors' estimate
About 1.5 hours for the grounds and the Magistrate's Office; allow 2.5–3 hours if you add Goryokaku Tower and a walk around the moat.
Admission
Adults 500 yen (groups of 20+ 400 yen); students and children 250 yen (groups 200 yen); preschoolers free
The area inside the moat is free during opening hours. The Magistrate's Office interior is paid. The Hyorogura storehouse opens inside only in August most years. On Tuesday, November 24, 2026, the office, the Itakura Yanagino rest house and the toilets inside the moat are closed for maintenance; the Japan 100 Castles stamp can still be used outdoors, to the left of the Itakura Yanagino entrance.
The 1854 Treaty of Kanagawa with the United States opened the port of Hakodate (written 箱館 until 1869), and the shogunate set up a magistrate there with an office at the foot of Mt. Hakodate. But Magistrate Hori Toshihiro worried that the office was exposed to fire from ships and could be seen in full from the top of Mt. Hakodate, so he proposed moving it inland to Kameda. The site chosen was a low, wet marsh full of pussy willows, once called Yanagino ("willow field").[1][2]
02
Historical record
Designed by a scholar of Western learning
The design was entrusted to Takeda Ayasaburo, a scholar of Western (Dutch) learning who taught at the magistrate's school. He drew on what officers of a French warship that visited Hakodate in 1855 told him about European forts and earthworks. Work began in 1857 under the name "Kameda Office Earthworks." Matsukawa Bennosuke from Echigo led the digging of the moat and ramparts, and the stonemason Kisaburo from Bizen led the stonework. After about seven years it was completed in 1864, and the magistrate's office moved in that year.[2][11]
03
Scholarly interpretation
Less a castle than a walled government office
At the center stood not a keep but a shogunate office that governed Ezo (today's Hokkaido), dealt with foreign ships and diplomats, and oversaw coastal defense. Because funds ran short, the five planned outworks were cut to one. The fort followed a design meant for the age of cannon, but it remained small by the standards of Western fortresses of the time.[2][4]
04
Historical record
The last stronghold of the Boshin War
After the shogunate fell, a former shogunate force led by Enomoto Takeaki landed in Ezo in October 1868, seized Goryokaku and made it their headquarters. In May 1869 the new government's forces launched an all-out attack. On the 11th, Hijikata Toshizo, former vice-commander of the Shinsengumi, was shot and killed in the town, and from the 12th, cannon on a warship in the harbor scored direct hits on the magistrate's office drum tower. Hakodate City notes that Goryokaku's own guns could not reach the harbor. The former shogunate forces surrendered on May 18, ending the Boshin War.[3][13]
05
Historical record
The office was dismantled; one storehouse survived
After the war Goryokaku was never used as an office again. In 1871 most of the magistrate's office and its outbuildings were torn down for timber to build the new Hokkaido Development Commission headquarters in Sapporo. The grounds became an army drill field and opened to the public as a park in 1914. The only building left from the original construction is a single earthen-walled storehouse, known as the Hyorogura (provisions store). The moat, ramparts and stone walls survive largely in their original form.[3][4][11]
06
Historical record
Special Historic Site and the 2010 rebuild
Goryokaku became a National Historic Site in 1922 and, in 1952, a Special Historic Site, the only one in Hokkaido. Excavations from 1985 uncovered the remains of the office and 20 outbuildings, and the post positions closely matched old plans. Building on this, work began in 2006 and part of the office was rebuilt in wood in 2010, using period materials and techniques such as persimmon-tannin wall coating wherever possible.[3][9]
Construction begins as the "Kameda Office Earthworks"[2][11]
Completed; the Hakodate Magistrate's Office moves in[2][5]
Former shogunate forces surrender at the end of the Battle of Hakodate[3]
Most buildings, including the office, are dismantled[3][4]
Designated a Special Historic Site (Historic Site since 1922)[3][11]
Part of the Magistrate's Office is rebuilt in wood[3][5]
Buildings and remains
The keep today
No keep was built
A Western-style star fort with no keep; the center was a government office.
The site today
Open as Goryokaku Park. The 2010 reconstruction of the Magistrate's Office stands in the center; other building sites are marked out on the ground. A path of about 1.8 km runs around the outer moat.
Main buildings
Rebuilt in wood
Hakodate Magistrate's Office
Dismantled in 1871; about 1,000 m2 rebuilt in wood in 2010. Now an exhibition facility (paid).[3][5]
Original
Hyorogura storehouse
The only building surviving from the original construction. Repaired in 1972–73 and 2001–02. Interior open only in August most years.[3][4][13]
Exterior restored
Board storehouse and earthen storehouse sites
Exteriors recreated; used as a rest area and the park office.[4]
Key facts
Type
Castle
Setting
Flatland castle (hirajiro)built on flat ground, defended by moatsEditorial article
Period
Early modern (1570s–1871)Editorial article
Keep (tenshu)
No keep was builtthe castle never had a keepEditorial article
National Historic Site (1922); Special National Historic Site (Goryokaku site) (1952)Editorial article
Selection
Japan's 100 Fine Castles No. 2Japan Castle Foundation
Visiting
Access
Open to visitors
The area inside the moat is free during opening hours. The Magistrate's Office interior is paid. The Hyorogura storehouse opens inside only in August most years. On Tuesday, November 24, 2026, the office, the Itakura Yanagino rest house and the toilets inside the moat are closed for maintenance; the Japan 100 Castles stamp can still be used outdoors, to the left of the Itakura Yanagino entrance.
Goryokaku-koen-mae tram stop (Hakodate City Tram)Hakodate City Tram (board at Hakodate Ekimae, by JR Hakodate Station)
about 18 min walk · No climb
Walk northeast on flat streets from the stop. From Hakodate Station to the Magistrate's Office takes about 40 minutes by tram and on foot. By bus, get off at Goryokaku-koen-iriguchi (about 10 minutes' walk), or take the Goryokaku Tower shuttle from Hakodate Station to Goryokaku Tower-mae (about 3 minutes). JR Goryokaku Station is poorly connected and not recommended.[1][5][8][13]
Adults 500 yen (groups of 20+ 400 yen); students and children 250 yen (groups 200 yen); preschoolers free[6][5]
Checked: 2026-10-03
By car / parking
The Magistrate's Office has no parking. The paid Goryokaku Tourist Parking lot opposite the Hakodate City Central Library (97 spaces, 2 for wheelchair users) charges 200 yen for the first hour and 100 yen per extra 30 minutes; from April 1, 2027 this rises to 300 yen and 150 yen.[1][8]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Grounds opening hours
Inside the moat: 5:00–19:00 April–October, 5:00–18:00 November–March. Park admission is free.[13]Checked: 2026-10-03
Time neededEditors' estimate
About 1.5 hours for the grounds and the Magistrate's Office; allow 2.5–3 hours if you add Goryokaku Tower and a walk around the moat.
Steps, slopes and footing
The grounds are almost flat (13–16 m above sea level), rising slightly toward the north gate. It was once a marsh, so puddles form after rain. There are steps at the Magistrate's Office entrance.[1][9]
Wheelchairs and strollers
Wheelchair users can tour the Magistrate's Office by climbing the entrance steps and switching to an indoor wheelchair. Strollers are not allowed inside. Accessible toilets are in the office and at Itakura Yanagino. The tourist parking lot has 2 wheelchair spaces.[7][8]Checked: 2026-10-03
Toilets and rest
One each in the Magistrate's Office, at the Itakura Yanagino rest house, near the Hyorogura storehouse, and near the rear gate.[7]
English signs / audio guide
The city's official tourism site lists English signs at the Goryokaku site. English guides or audio guides at the Magistrate's Office are not confirmed.[13]
Seasons
About 1,500 cherry trees bloom around Japan's Golden Week holidays (late April – early May), and fallen petals can carpet the moat. In winter the moat freezes and the star stands out in the snow. The Hyorogura storehouse is open inside only in August most years.[13][1]
Photography
Photography is allowed inside the Magistrate's Office, but publishing images of the displayed maps and photos online or in print requires permission from the institutions that own them. Media shoots and wedding photography need advance application.[7][6]
Works, closures and restrictions
Tuesday, November 24, 2026: the Magistrate's Office and Itakura Yanagino are closed all day for maintenance, and toilets inside the moat are unavailable.[10]Checked: 2026-10-03
Suggested routes
Above the star, then inside it: 2.5 hours 150 min
Look down on the star and the front outwork from the Goryokaku Tower deck
Cross Ichi-no-hashi into the outwork and see the overhanging stone walls at the front
Cross Ni-no-hashi into the fort, passing the screening mound
See the monument to Takeda Ayasaburo, then tour the Magistrate's Office
Walk around the room outlines on the ground and view the Hyorogura storehouse from outside
Leave by the rear gate bridge and walk the path around the moat (about 1.8 km) back to the start
The moat-loop distance is from Hakodate City and its tourism site; the time is an editorial estimate.
A 107 m tower next to Goryokaku Park. From the 90 m observation level you can see the whole star, and there are dioramas of Goryokaku's history and a 1:250 model of the fort as built. The current tower, completed in 2006, is the second on the site.[14]
The spot at the foot of Mt. Hakodate where the Magistrate's Office stood before moving to Goryokaku. From the slope you look straight down on the harbor, which helps explain why the office was moved inland.[2]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Editors' guide
An editorial guide based on sources and confirmed information — not a first-hand visit report.
Who will enjoy it
Especially worth seeing if you think a Japanese castle means a keep. Good for fans of late-Edo history, the Shinsengumi and the Battle of Hakodate, and anyone who enjoys seeing a design from above. It gets busy in cherry-blossom season.
What makes it interesting
Start at the tower to see the star and the lone front outwork. On the ground, look for the overhanging top of the stone walls at the front and the screening mounds at the entrances. At the Magistrate's Office, notice how the room plan continues on the ground outside; it shows how large the original office was.
Before you go
Goryokaku is not a castle with a keep but a Western-style earthwork that protected a shogunate office. The office building is a 2010 reconstruction; the only original building is the Hyorogura storehouse. You remove your shoes inside the office, and large bags are not allowed (there are coin lockers at Itakura Yanagino).
Ways to enjoy it
The face on the Takeda Ayasaburo monument is said to shine because so many visitors have rubbed it, hoping some of his brilliance rubs off. Snow sharpens the lines of the star in winter, so the view from the tower is worth comparing across seasons.
Photos
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Open questions
Hakodate City gives 1871 as the year the office buildings were dismantled, while the national heritage database gives 1872.
The statement that only Goryokaku and Tatsuoka Castle in Japan have this star shape comes from Hakodate City.
Hakodate City says the European fort that inspired the design was probably one near Paris, but it has not been identified.
On the stone used, the city mentions andesite from Tachimachi Point on Mt. Hakodate and stone from hills to the north, while the tourism site adds stones gathered from the Kameda River on the rear-gate side.
The usual location of the Japan 100 Castles stamp, Goryokaku Tower's prices and hours, and English guidance at the Magistrate's Office could not be confirmed.
Goryokaku-TowerCC BY 4.0Wikimedia Commons
