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Rebels in the north
The Republic of Ezo 蝦夷共和国 Ezo KyÅwakoku was a short-lived breakaway state of Japan with its capital at Hakodate.
After the defeat of the forces of the Tokugawa Shogunate in the Boshin War 1868-1869, a part of the Shogun's navy led by Admiral Enomoto Takeaki fled to the northern island of Ezo now known as HokkaidÅ. On 25 December 1868, the Ezo Republic declared its independence, and elected Enomoto as its president.
However, Imperial forces soon consolidated their hold on mainland Japan, and in May 1869 dispatched a fleet to Ezo. With no prospect of victory, Enomoto decided to destroy his arms, and on 18 May 1869, the Republic surrendered without a fight and accepted the Meiji Emperor's rule. Enomoto was sentenced to a brief prison sentence, but was freed in 1872 and accepted a post as a government official in the newly renamed HokkaidÅ Land Agency.
Hakodate is in the north of Japan, and is the largest city in southern HokkaidÅ. As one of the first cities in Japan to be opened to trade, like Yokohama and Kobe, there are some signs of foreign influence in Hakodate, notably architecture. Hakodate was also the capital of the short-lived Republic of Ezo see box in the aftermath of the Meiji Restoration.And also,Hakodate was chosen as the town that Japanese want to visit.There are many tourist attractions in Hakodate.
