was a key fortress of the Republic of Ezo

Republic of Ezo

The ' was a short-lived state established by former Tokugawa retainers in what is now known as Hokkaidō, the large but sparsely populated northernmost island in modern Japan.-Background:...

 in 1868-1869. It was located at the entrance of the bay of Hakodate, in the northern island of Hokkaidō

Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

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Benten Daiba was built by the Japanese architect Takeda Ayasaburō

Takeda Ayasaburo

, was a Japanese Rangaku scholar, and the architect of the fortress of Goryōkaku in Hokkaidō.Takeda was born in the Ōzu Domain in 1827. He studied medicine, Western sciences , navigation, military architecture. He was a student of Ogata Kōan and Sakuma Shōzan...

 on the site formerly occupied by a shrine to Benten, the goddess of fortune. Much of the remnants of the famous Shinsengumi

Shinsengumi

The were a special police force of the late shogunate period.-Historical background:After Japan opened up to the West following U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's visits in 1853, its political situation gradually became more and more chaotic...

 fought their last battle and surrendered there.

Benten Daiba is located near Goryokaku

Goryokaku

is a star fort in the city of Hakodate in southern Hokkaidō, Japan. It was the main fortress of the short-lived Republic of Ezo.- History :Built by the Tokugawa shogunate in 1857-1866, it was located in the center of the port of Hakodate, on the island of Hokkaidō...

, the famous fortress which was the site of the last battle of the Boshin War

Boshin War

The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....

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