Benten Daiba

was a key fortress of the

Republic of Ezo The was a short-lived separatist state established in 1869 on the island of Ezo, now Hokkaido, by a part of the former military of the Tokugawa shogunate at the end of the ''Bakumatsu'' period in Japan. It was the first government to attempt t ...

in 1868–1869. It was located at the entrance of the bay of

Hakodate is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 412.8 ...

, in the northern island of Hokkaidō, Japan. Benten Daiba was built by the Japanese architect

Takeda Ayasaburō , was a Japanese Rangaku scholar, and the architect of the fortress of Goryōkaku in Hokkaidō. Takeda was born in the Ōzu Domain (modern-day Ōzu, Ehime) in 1827. He studied medicine, Western sciences (rangaku), navigation, military archite ...

on the site formerly occupied by a shrine to

Benten Benzaiten (''shinjitai'': 弁才天 or 弁財天; ''kyūjitai'': 辯才天, 辨才天, or 辨財天, lit. "goddess of eloquence"), also simply known as Benten (''shinjitai'': 弁天; ''kyūjitai'': 辯天 / 辨天), is a Japanese Buddhist g ...

, the goddess of fortune. Much of the remnants of the famous

Shinsengumi The was a special police force organized by the (military government) during Japan's Bakumatsu period (late Tokugawa shogunate) in 1863. It was active until 1869. It was founded to protect the shogunate representatives in Kyoto at a time wh ...

fought their last battle and surrendered there. Benten Daiba is located near Goryokaku, the famous fortress which was the site of the last battle of the Boshin War. Forts in Japan Boshin War Tourist attractions in Hokkaido Buildings and structures in Hokkaido Coastal fortifications 19th-century fortifications in Japan {{Hokkaidō-geo-stub