In-depth article
Hakodate, Hokkaido
Goryōkaku
五稜郭
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.
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Japan Castle Atlas
Takeda Ayasaburo
武田斐三郎
A scholar of Western (Dutch) learning from the Ozu domain in Iyo. He taught at the Hakodate magistrate's school and designed Goryokaku and the Benten Point battery; after 1868 he taught at army schools.
Historical record
Story
He designed Goryokaku based on what officers of a French warship that visited Hakodate in 1855 told him about European batteries and earthworks. A monument to him was erected inside the fort in 1964 for its centenary; its face is said to shine because so many visitors rub it, hoping to share his brilliance.
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In-depth article
Goryokaku-TowerCC BY 4.0Wikimedia Commons
designed the fortRecord source: article
Sources
- 1五稜郭の歴史(築造から大政奉還)(函館市)Checked:
- 2五稜郭内の建物と遺構(函館市)Checked:
- 3特別史跡五稜郭跡(五稜郭公園)(はこぶら)Checked:
- 4武田斐三郎(補助資料・生没年)(Wikipedia日本語版)Checked: