CastleFlatland castle (hirajiro)Next 100 Fine Castles No. 101
What makes this castle distinctive
Right next to this earthwork fort, three huge jars packed with more than 380,000 coins were dug up. Overlooking the sea, it was an outpost of Japanese settlers who thrived on northern sea trade.
Why?
In 1968, road work near the site turned up three large jars crammed with old coins: more than 380,000 of them, of 93 types, the oldest Chinese coins from before the common era and the newest from the 14th century. Judging from the jars, they were buried in the late 14th century. They are now an Important Cultural Property, rare evidence of a medieval northern economy linked by shipping along the Sea of Japan.[1]
All around the site, especially the tall rampart on the north and the double dry moat on the west, divided by an earthen bridge.
What to look at
Ramparts that stand 4–4.5 m high on the north side but only 1–1.5 m on the south, and moats with a steep V-shaped profile.
Why it's interesting
This is a medieval fort built purely of piled earth and dug ditches, with no stone walls or keep. The ramparts are highest on the north, and on the west two parallel dry moats flank an earthen bridge. You can see how natural gullies were used to dig the moats and strengthen the landward side.[1]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideFree to visit. Do not climb the ramparts or damage the turf; the slopes are very steep.
Inside the enclosure (kuruwa) ringed by the ramparts, about 70–80 m east–west and 50–65 m north–south.
What to look at
Markers on the ground showing where buildings, fences, a well and post holes were found.
Why it's interesting
Excavations from 1983 found traces of buildings, fences and a well, and showed that the interior changed over three phases from the late 14th century to the 16th century and later. The well, lined with boards held by corner posts, follows a style popular at the end of the Kamakura period. The city has marked the outlines of what are thought to be the earliest buildings on the ground.[1][2]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideYou can walk around inside the enclosure.
03
Views of the Tsugaru Strait and Mount Hakodate
Where
Looking southwest from the site, on the edge of a coastal terrace 17–25 m above sea level.
What to look at
Mount Hakodate and the city, the Tsugaru Strait, and the Shimokita Peninsula in the distance.
Why it's interesting
The coast below the fort produced fine kelp known as Uga kombu and had many natural harbors. Placing the fort where it could watch the sea suggests how much the settlers' lives depended on marine products and sea routes.[1][2]
Can you see it?
Visible from outsideBest on clear days.
At a glance for visitors
Nearest station
5 min walk from Shinori bus stop (Hakodate Bus)
Climb
Not confirmed
Time neededEditors' estimate
About 30 minutes to walk the enclosure, ramparts and moats.
Access
Open to visitors
Open as a historic park and free to walk around (no admission fee appears to be charged, but no official opening hours are given). Climbing the ramparts, damaging the turf, riding bicycles or motorbikes in, and lighting fires are prohibited. The Next 100 Castles stamp is kept in the shelter inside the site.
Shinoridate stands on the edge of a coastal terrace 17–25 m above sea level, about 9 km east of central Hakodate. The coast here has long produced high-quality kelp known as Uga kombu and has many natural harbors. From the site you can see Mount Hakodate and the city, the Tsugaru Strait, and the Shimokita Peninsula far beyond.[1]
02
Historical record
Easternmost of the Twelve Forts of southern Hokkaido
In the 14th and 15th centuries, Japanese settlers (Wajin) who had crossed from Honshu to Ezo, today's Hokkaido, built forts along the southern coast. The forts recorded in the Shinra no Kiroku, a history compiled by the Matsumae domain, are known as the Twelve Forts of southern Hokkaido, and Shinoridate is the easternmost of them. The record names its lord as Kobayashi Tarozaemon-no-jo Yoshikage. Most ceramics found in excavations date from the early 15th century.[1][2]
03
Scholarly interpretation
A northern medieval world linked by sea trade
Excavations inside the enclosure yielded celadon and white porcelain from southern China, and jars and dishes from the Echizen and Suzu kilns in today's Fukui and Ishikawa prefectures. Together with the huge coin hoard found nearby, they suggest Shinoridate was part of a trading world linked by sea to Honshu and the Asian mainland. Why the coins were buried, as savings or as a ritual offering, is still debated.[1]
04
Historical record
Captured in Koshamain's War, 1457
The Shinra no Kiroku records that during Koshamain's War, which began in 1456, Ainu people rose up and attacked Shinoridate in the fifth month of 1457, and the fort fell. The same record says the Ainu leader Koshamain was killed at the end of the fighting. In 1512 the fort fell again in another conflict with the Ainu. The Kobayashi family is then said to have submitted to the Matsumae family, and Shinoridate disappears from the record, apparently abandoned. These accounts come from the Matsumae domain, on the Japanese settlers' side; no Ainu account of the events has come down to us.[1]
05
Historical record
Buildings gone, earthworks intact
None of the buildings survive, but the ramparts and dry moats on all four sides are well preserved. The Hakodate City Board of Education began excavating in 1983 and found traces of post-built and stone-based buildings, fences and board walls, and a well. The interior went through three phases: the late 14th to early 15th century, the mid-15th century, and the 16th century onward.[1]
06
Historical record
A historic park
The site was designated a National Historic Site in 1934 and the protected area was enlarged in 1977. Based on the excavations, by 1987 the outlines of buildings and the well had been marked inside the enclosure and the outer moats and small ramparts were turfed, turning the site into a historic park. In 2017 it was named one of the Next 100 Fine Castles of Japan.[1][4]
Jars holding some 380,000 coins are found during nearby road work[1]
City excavations begin; the site is laid out as a historic park by 1987[1]
Named one of the Next 100 Fine Castles of Japan[1][3]
Buildings and remains
The keep today
No keep was built
A medieval earthwork fort; it never had a keep.
The site today
The enclosure, ringed by ramparts and dry moats, is laid out as a historic park, with building outlines marked in the turf. There is a shelter, toilets and a drinking fountain. Hakodate Airport's runway lies close to the north.
National Historic Site (Shinoridate site) (1934); Important Cultural Property: the medieval coin hoard found at Shinori (held by Hakodate City Museum) (2003)Editorial article
Selection
Next 100 Fine Castles No. 101Japan Castle Foundation
Visiting
Access
Open to visitors
Open as a historic park and free to walk around (no admission fee appears to be charged, but no official opening hours are given). Climbing the ramparts, damaging the turf, riding bicycles or motorbikes in, and lighting fires are prohibited. The Next 100 Castles stamp is kept in the shelter inside the site.
Address
Shinori-cho and Akasaka-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido[1]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Nearest stations and how to get there
Shinori bus stop (Hakodate Bus)Hakodate Bus (about 35 minutes from Hakodate Station)
about 5 min walk · Not confirmed
About 260 m from the stop. From Hakodate Airport, take a bus to Yukura-jinja-mae (about 16 minutes) and change for Shinori (about 8 minutes). On foot from the airport it is about 1.6 km; the city publishes a walking-route guide (PDF).[1][2][5]
Checked: 2026-10-03
By car / parking
There is no parking at the site. By taxi it is about 8.5 km from Hakodate Station via Route 278, or about 2.1 km from Hakodate Airport.[1][2]
Checked: 2026-10-03
Grounds opening hours
Not officially stated (the city tourism site lists it among places you can enter early or late).[2]Checked: 2026-10-03
Time neededEditors' estimate
About 30 minutes to walk the enclosure, ramparts and moats.
Steps, slopes and footing
The slopes of the site are very steep. Inside, the enclosure is a flat area sloping gently from north to south.[1]
Wheelchairs and strollers
The city warns that the slopes are very steep and asks families with small children and people with limited mobility to take particular care. No accessibility facilities are listed.[1]Checked: 2026-10-03
Toilets and rest
Toilets, a shelter and a drinking fountain are on site.[1]
English signs / audio guide
English signage not confirmed.
Seasons
No seasonal highlights listed officially.
Photography
No official photography rules were found.
Works, closures and restrictions
No parking. The city states that accidents on the site are the responsibility of those involved.[1]Checked: 2026-10-03
Permanently displays the medieval coin hoard found near Shinoridate, an Important Cultural Property. It is in Aoyagi-cho, Hakodate, some distance from the site, so go by bus or car.[1][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
For anyone curious to see an earthwork fort with no stone walls or keep, those interested in the history of Japanese settlers and the Ainu in Hokkaido, and travelers with a little time near Hakodate Airport.
What makes it interesting
First, the big difference in rampart height between north and south, and the double moat and earthen bridge on the west. Then the building outlines inside. Finally, look southwest over the sea to Mount Hakodate and picture the fort as a base for sea trade.
Before you go
There is no parking, so come by bus, or by taxi or on foot from the airport. Climbing the ramparts is not allowed, and the slopes are very steep. Keep in mind that the fort's history comes from the records of the Matsumae domain, on the settlers' side, with no Ainu account.
Ways to enjoy it
Read the explanation boards about the excavations, then walk the enclosure to picture where each building stood. Seeing the actual coin hoard at Hakodate City Museum brings home how this small fort was tied into a wide trading world.
Photos
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Open questions
The fort's history comes from the Shinra no Kiroku, written by the Matsumae domain from the settlers' point of view; no Ainu perspective or record survives.
The Japan Castle Foundation's list describes the lords as "possibly a branch of the Ando family"; how the Kobayashi relate to the Ando is unclear.
The designation year (1934) and the 1977 extension come from a secondary source (Wikipedia).
Photos and figures on the Hakodate City page are excluded from the city's open-data license, so they are not used here.
Opening hours, English signage, photography rules and the Hakodate City Museum's opening details could not be confirmed.
おちむしゃ20150505Public domainWikimedia Commons
