7. Goryokaku Fort: The Republic's Last Stand http://www.1zoom.me/en/wallpaper/431587/z4868.6/%26original=1 Well known for its Mario-esque, star-shaped layout, Goryokaku Fort was designed by an architect named Takeda Ayasaburo, who utilized the unique star shape in order to reduce the number of blind spots a cannon could hit, taking inspiration from latter-day Western fortifications. In 1868 to 1869, it was here that forces loyal to the Tokugawa Shogunate would make their last stand against the forces of the Meiji Restoration in the Boshin War. Military commanders loyal to the shogunate declared Hokkaido an independent republic (the Republic of Ezo), and a Franco-Japanese force worked to defend the new republic from Goryokaku Fort, which had just been completed in 1864. The Naval Battle of Hakodate (May 4-10, 1869) was Japan's first large-scale naval battle between modern navies, with ships from the British and French navies (the HMS Pearl and the Coëtlogon, respectively) standing by neutrally. As the tide turned, Ezo's French advisors escaped to the Coëtlogon, and on June 27, Enomoto Takeaki, leader of the shogun's navy and president of the republic, was finally convinced to lay down his arms and surrender. He would later serve as Japan's minister of education. - www.att-japan.net