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Hakodate was Japan's first city whose port was opened to foreign trade in 1854, as a result ofConvention of Kanagawa, and used to be the most important port in northern Japan. The city was the biggest city in Hokkaido before theGreat Fire of Hakodate in 1934.
Hakodate (like other parts of around Hokkaido) was originally populated by theAinu. The name "Hakodate" may have originated from an Ainu word, "hak-casi" ("shallow fort"). Another possibility is that it means "box" or "building" in Japanese which refers to the castle built by the Kono (Kano) clan in the fifteenth century.[3]
Hakodate was founded in 1454, when Kono Kaganokami Masamichi constructed a large manor house in the fishing village of Usukeshi, the word for bay in Ainu.
After his death, Masamichi's son, Kono Suemichi, and family were driven out of Hakodate into nearbyKameda during the Ainu rebellion in 1512 and little history was recorded for the area during the next 100 years. There was constant low-level conflict in the Oshima peninsula at the time with the Ainu, as armed merchants, like the Kono family, established bases to control trade in the region. This conflict culminated in an uprising from 1669 to 1672, led by Ainu warriorShakushain after which the Ainu in the region were suppressed.[4]
Hakodate flourished during theHoei period (1704–11), and many new temples were founded in the area. The town's fortunes received a further boost in 1741 when theMatsumae clan, which had been granted nearby areas on theOshima Peninsula as amarch fief, moved its Kameda magistracy to Masamichi's house in Hakodate.
In 1779, theTokugawa shogunate took direct control over Hakodate, which triggered rapid development in the area. MerchantTakadaya Kahei, who is honoured as the founder of Hakodate port, set up trading operations, which included opening the northernEtorofu sea route to theKuril island fisheries. He is credited with turning Hakodate from a trading outpost into a thriving city. A Hakodate magistracy was established in 1802.[5] By 1807, the power of the Tokugawa government extended to the entire region. However, in 1821, the central government relaxed their control of the area and restored the Matsumae clan to the full powers they had before.[3]
Gallery
Lithograph entitled "View of Hakodate from Snow Peak" looking towards the sea—artist,Wilhelm Heine (1856)
The port of Hakodate was surveyed by a fleet of five U.S. ships in 1854 under the conditions of the Convention of Kanagawa, as negotiated by CommodoreMatthew C. 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 five Japanese open ports designated in the1858 Treaty of Amity and Commerce signed with the U.S. TheHakodate foreign settlement is one of the legacies of foreign influence in Hakodate.
A mariner in Perry's fleet died during a visit to the area and became the first U.S. citizen to be buried in Japan when he was interred in Hakodate'scemetery for foreigners.
British merchant, naturalist and spyThomas Blakiston took up residence in Hakodate in the summer of 1861 to establish a saw-milling business. He stayed in Hakodate until 1884, during which time he documented the local natural environment, equipped the local meteorological station and ran guns to theBoshin War rebels.[6]
As one of few points of Japanese contact with the outside world, Hakodate was soon host to several overseas consulates. The Russian consulate included a chapel from whereNicholas of Japan is credited with introducingEastern Orthodox Christianity to Japan in 1861 (now theJapanese Orthodox Church). The Orthodox church is neighbored by several other historical missionary churches, includingAnglican andCatholic.
Hakodate also played a central role in theBoshin War between theTokugawa shogunate and theMeiji Emperor which followed Perry's opening of Japan. Shogunate rebelEnomoto Takeaki fled to Hakodate with the remnants of his navy and his handful of French advisers in winter 1868, includingJules Brunet. They formally established theRepublic of Ezo on December 25. The republic tried unsuccessfully to gather international recognition to foreign legations in Hakodate, including the Americans, French, and Russians. TheNaval Battle of Hakodate was fought from 4 to 10 May 1869, between the remnants of theTokugawa shogunate navy and the newly formedImperial Japanese Navy. It was a decisive victory for the Imperial Japanese Navy.
On 14 June 1868, Hakodate was designated as an urban prefecture (府 fu), one of the first two, the other beingKyoto. On February 8, 1882, it was enlarged into Hakodate-ken, and then became part ofHokkaido on January 26, 1886.
The rebels occupied Hakodate's famous European-styleGoryōkakufort and used it as the centre of their defences in southern Hokkaido. Government forces defeated the secessionists in theBattle of Hakodate in 1869 and the city and fort were surrendered to emperor. Military leader,Hijikata Toshizō, was one of those slain in the fighting.
In 1878,Isabella Bird reported of the city in her travelogue:
The streets are very wide and clean, but the houses are mean and low. The city looks as if it had just recovered from a conflagration. The houses are nothing but tinder… Stones, however, are its prominent feature. Looking down upon it from above you see miles of grey boulders, and realise that every roof in the windy capital is "hodden doun" by a weight of paving stones.
Hakodate was awardedcity status on August 1, 1922. On March 21, 1934, a serious fire had destroyed around two-thirds of all the buildings in Hakodate. This event also led to many residents leaving and subsequently depopulating the city.[3] The city escaped most of the ravages of World War II. Areas around Hakodate-yama were fortified and access restricted to the public. Many prisoners of war were interned in Hakodate and historians record a total of 10 camps.[7] The city was subjected to two Allied bombing raids on 14 and 15 July 1945. Around 400 homes were destroyed on the western side of Hakodate-yama and an Aomori-Hakodate ferry was attacked with 400 passengers killed.
In 1976, a defectingSoviet pilot namedViktor Belenko flew his plane into the civilian airport in Hakodate.
Hakodate's size nearly doubled on December 1, 2004, when the town of Minamikayabe (fromKayabe District), and the towns of Esan and Toi, and the village of Todohokke (all fromKameda District), were merged into it.
In April 2023, Jun Ōizumi became the mayor of Hakodate. Ōizumi, the older brother of actorYo Oizumi, defeated 3-term incumbent Toshiki Kudō, receiving more than 80% of the vote.[9]
Gallery
Hakodate Port circa 1930
US NavyGrumman TBF Avenger aircraft dropping bombs on Hakodate during July 1945
Mount Hakodate was originally an island that was formed by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago.[10] During the course of history a sand bar formed between Mount Hakodate and the peninsula.[10] This landform, which is an example of atombolo, finished forming circa 1000 BCE.[10] The tombolo connects the former Hakodate island with the main islandHokkaido to the north.[10] The main central area of Hakodate city is located on the sandbar.[10]
Hakodate is located at the center of Kameda Peninsula. The city is overlooked byMount Hakodate. The summit can be reached by hiking trail,cable car, or by car. Visitors can also reach the peak of Mount Hakodate by taking tour bus and/or direct bus.[11] that departs from JR Hakodate Station. An obscure local nickname of the bumpy mountain isGagyūzan (Mount Cow's Back), alluding to the way the mountain resembles a resting cow.
The formerGoryōkaku fort is now used in as a public park and is popular in Hokkaido forhanami (cherry blossom viewing). Since April 2006, the park has also featured the tall, white Goryōkaku Tower. Resembling an air traffic control tower, the structure offers a panoramic view of the park, including mainland Japan across theTsugaru Strait on clear days.
Hakodate has a cityscape that covers the center of the Kameda peninsula. A narrow land area separates Hakodate Bay to the west fromTsugaru Strait in the south-east side. It is best viewed from the top ofMount Hakodate.
The population of Hakodate increased by 402% from 28,825 to 144,749 between 1873 till 1920. Hakodate's population peaked in 1980 at 320,154, but has been graduallyin decline due to aging since then.[12]
According to theKöppen climate classification, Hakodate's climate is Hot Summerhumid continental (Dfa) of hot summers and winters with regular intenseblizzards. With an alternate definition, using the −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm, Hakodate falls in theHumid Subtropical Climate (Cfa) commonly found on the east coast of the continents. The warmest month has an average temperature of 22.1 °C (71.8 °F). And so the city is the limit of hot summer climates for a city on the immediate coast inJapan (Cfa/Dfa), although appearing in other interior regions of the province.[13] Hakodate has snowy winters and warm, humid summers. Winters are cold for the latitude (the same asNorthern California) but milder than much of Hokkaido.
Hakodate features four distinct seasons. The city sees a substantial amount of snowfall during the course of the year, averaging roughly 380 cm (150 in) of snow annually. Spring typically begins with some snowfall, but sees a gradual warming trend as the season progress. Summers are generally warm but not hot, with average high temperatures in the warmest month (August) hovering around 26 °C (79 °F). Fall initially is warm but becomes increasingly colder as the season progress. It is not uncommon to see snowfall in the latter parts of the fall season.
Climate data for Hakodate, elevation 5 m (16 ft), (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1872−present)
Prior to its dissolution,Air Hokkaido was headquartered in Hakodate.[16] In January 2006, the regional airlineAirtransse was headquartered in Hakodate.[17]
In Funami-cho there is the Koryu-ji temple. It's the oldest Buddhist temple (affiliated with theSoto school) in the region which was built in 1633. It was badly damaged during theBoshin War and moved to its current location in 1879. The existing main building was built in 1900.[18][19]
The city is well known for seafood andsushi. Hakodate shio (salt)ramen is also a famous specialty of the city. Shio ramen has a pale, clear, broth made with plenty of salt and any combination of chicken, pork bone, vegetables, fish, andseaweed.[20] On a similar note, Hakodate's city fish is the squid. Hakodate is famous for the restaurant Ikkatei Tabiji, which serves a dish called "dancing squid": - a recently deceased squid is served with soy sauce, the sodium of the soy sauce causes acadaveric spasm when it is poured over the squid.[21]
Every year (August) the city gets together for the Hakodate Port Festival. Many citizens gather in the streets to dance a wiggly dance known as theIka-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.[22][23] The bell of Haristos Orthodox Church is one of the100 Soundscapes of Japan.
The Hakodate Fish Market (otherwise known as the Asaichi or the Morning Market) is approximately 10-minute walk from the JR Hakodate Station. It is open daily and boasts hundreds of fish and sea food stands in addition to restaurants. Popular fares include sea urchin and calamari, the famous Japanese snow crab from the famous Hokkaido waters.
In Hakodate, there are mass media and information and telecommunications providers such as newspaper companies, TV broadcasters, community broadcasters, and cable TV operators.
^北海道新幹線開業は来年３月２６日 ＪＲが最終調整 [Hokkaido Shinkansen to open on 26 March next year - JR Hokkaido makes final adjustments].Doshin (in Japanese). Japan: The Hokkaido Shimbun Press. 12 August 2015. Archived fromthe original on 2015-08-12. Retrieved12 August 2015.
