As of 2004, the city has an estimated population of 299,737 and the density of 442.24 persons per km². The total area is 677.77 km². Hakodate's size nearly doubled on December 1, 2004 when the neighboring municipalities of Toi, Esan, Todohokke and Minamikayabe were merged into it.
History
Hakodate was founded in 1454, when Kono Kaganokami Masamichi constructed a palace at the foot of Mount Hakodate. The mansion is said to have included a barricade and looked like a box from the distance giving the area its name, box mansion.[1]
After his death, Masamichi's son, Suemichi Kono, and family were driven out of Hakodate into nearby Kameda during an Ainu rebellion in 1512 and little history was recorded for the area during the next 100 years.
Hakodate flourished ｄuring the Hoei period (1704-1711) and many new temples were founded in the area. The town's fortunes received a further boost in 1741 when the Masumae clan, which had been granted nearby areas on the Oshima Peninsula as a marchfief, moved it's Kameda magistracy to Masamichi's house in Hakodate.
In 1779 the Tokugawa shogunate took direct control over Hakodate, which triggered rapid development in the area. Merchant Kahei Takadaya, who is honoured as the founder of Hakodate port, set up trading operations, which included the opening the Etorofu sea route to the Kuril island fisheries. A Hakodate magistracy was established in 1802.[2]
The port of Hakodate was surveyed by a fleet of five US ships in 1854 under the conditions of the Treaty of Kanagawa, as negotiated by Commodore Matthew Perry. Hakodate port partially opened to foreign ships for provisioning in the following year and then completely to foreign trade on 2 June 1859 as one of three Japanese open ports designated in the 1858 Treaty of Amity and Commerce signed with the US.
A mariner in Perry's fleet died during a visit to the area and became the first US citizen to be buried in Japan when he was interred in Hakodate's cemetery for foreigners.
Hakodate was awarded city status on August 1, 1922 and was soon host to several overseas consulates. The Russian consulate included a chapel, from where Eastern Orthodoxy arrived in Japan, now the Japanese Orthodox Church. The Orthodox church is neighbored by several other churches, including Anglican and Catholic.
Hakodate is home to the famous European-style Goryokakufort, which was built in the shape of a five-pointed star in 1866. During the last phase of the Meiji Restoration, the shogunateloyalists occupied the fort, declaring the establishment of the Republic of Ezo. A handful of French soldiers led by Jules Brunet,who had served as military advisers for the shogunate army, joined the rebellion led by Enomoto Takeaki. After battles with the government forces, the secessionists surrendered the fort in 1869. It is now used as a public park. The park is a popular spot in Hokkaidō for hanami (cherry blossom viewing) and since April 2006 has featured the tall, white Goryokaku Tower. Resembling an air traffic control tower, the structure offers a panoramic view of the park, including mainland Japan across the Tsugaru Strait on clear days.
The small but bustling city is also famous as the site of Hijikata Toshizo's last stand.
Geography
View of Hakodate from Mountain
The city is overlooked by Hakodateyama (Mount Hakodate), a lumpy, totally forested mountain. The summit of the mountain is easily reached by either hiking trail, cable car, or car. The nighttime view from the summit is renowned all over Japan as one of the loveliest sights in the country. An obscure local nickname of the bumpy mountain is Gagyuzan (Mount Cow's Back), alluding to the way the mountain resembles a resting cow.
The city is also known for Hakodate Shio Ramen, where instead of having sliced chāshū (char siu, 叉焼 or 焼豚: traditionally barbecued pork but usually a thinly sliced braised pork when used as a ramen topping) placed inside the soup, sliced squid is used. On a similar note, Hakodate's city fish is the squid. Every year (August) the city gets together for the Hakodate Port Festival. Hordes of citizens gather in the streets to dance a wiggly dance known as the Ika-odori (Squid Dance), the name of which describes the dance appropriately. The glowing lights of squid-catching boats can be seen in the waters surrounding the city.
Noein, a science-fiction animated 2005 television series, takes place primarily in Hakodate, and reproduces the various features of the city in uncanny detail.
Hakodate is featured being destroyed by a massive tsunami in the epic disaster film, Sinking of Japan.
The lights from squid fishing boats, seen from Hakodate.
Orthodox Christian Church in Hakodate
