Shomyoji Temple, Hakodate

Shomyoji is one of the venerable temples clustered along the Funami-cho hillside at the western foot of Mount Hakodate, a quiet quarter of monasteries, slopes and old cemeteries that forms the historical backbone of the city away from the tourist bay. Though modest in scale, Shomyoji is soaked in Hakodate's history, and for anyone interested in the people who shaped this port it is essential.

The temple's grounds hold the grave of Takadaya Kahei, the merchant-adventurer who did more than almost anyone to build Hakodate into a great northern port. In the late Edo period Kahei pioneered shipping and fishing routes to the far north, developed the harbor, and became entangled in the Golovnin Affair, a diplomatic crisis with Russia in which he played a crucial mediating role. His memorial here marks him as a founding father of the modern city.

Shomyoji is equally known as a place of memory for Hijikata Toshizo, the famed vice-commander of the Shinsengumi who died in Hakodate in 1869 during the final battle of the Boshin War, fighting for the short-lived Republic of Ezo at nearby Goryokaku. A memorial to Hijikata stands within the temple, drawing history enthusiasts and fans of the Bakumatsu era from across Japan. To stand in one small temple yard beside memorials to both a great Edo merchant and a legendary swordsman is to feel the compression of Hakodate's dramatic history.

Like almost every old building in Hakodate, Shomyoji has been rebuilt after fire, and the present halls date from twentieth-century reconstruction, but the atmosphere of the grounds — stone lanterns, weathered gravestones, the green slope of the mountain rising behind — retains a genuine sense of age. In spring cherry blossoms soften the cemetery; in autumn the trees color.

The temple sits within easy reach of Motomachi's churches and slopes and the western dock area, making it a rewarding detour on a historical walking tour. From the Motomachi tram stops it is a short walk toward Funami-cho, or ride tram line 5 to Hakodate Dokku-mae and approach from the west. Allow around half an hour to find the graves and memorials and to absorb the quiet. Because it is an active temple and a resting place, visitors should be respectful and keep voices low. Pair it with the neighboring temples of Jitsugyoji and Yamanoue Daijingu, all within a few minutes' walk, for a concentrated dose of the old, non-touristic Hakodate that most day-trippers never see.