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BATTLE // December 4, 1868

Battle of Hakodate

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Overview

The Battle of Hakodate was fought in Japan from December 4, 1868, to June 27, 1869, between the remnants of the Tokugawa shogunate army, consolidated into the armed forces of the rebel Ezo Republic, and the armies of the newly formed Imperial government. It was the last stage of the Boshin War, and occurred around Hakodate in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō. In Japanese, it is also known as the Battle of Goryōkaku .

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Hakodate was the final stage of the Boshin War, fought around Hakodate on the northern island of Hokkaidō between the Imperial government's forces and the remnant Tokugawa army reorganized under the rebel Ezo Republic. With Imperial forces numbering roughly 7,000 against the Ezo Republic's 3,000, the engagement ended organized resistance to the new Meiji order. Ezo Republic casualties reached 1,700, and the defeat extinguished the last armed holdout of the old shogunate. The fall of Hakodate — also known as the Battle of Goryōkaku — completed the Imperial consolidation begun in 1868, removing any remaining political or military basis for a rival government in the north and confirming the Meiji administration's authority over the Japanese archipelago.

Forces & casualties

Troop strength

  • Japan7,000
    medium
  • Ezo Republic3,000
    medium

Japan fielded a 2.3 : 1 numerical advantage

Casualties

  • Ezo Republic1,700
    medium57% loss rate

Commanders (9)

Ezo Republic

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6 sibling battles · 0 factions

Last verified June 2026
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