The Museum of the Former Shiraoi Barracks of the Sendai Clan
Website of the Museum of the Former Shiraoi Barracks of the Sendai Clan	In 1856, in preparation for the Russian powers that were slowly advancing southwards as a result of the opening of the country, the shogunate of the time ordered the Sendai Clan and clans from the Ouu region to defend Hokkaido, or the Ezo region as it was known at the time. The region they were to defend spread over a wide area from Shiraoi to the islands of Kunashiri and Etorofu. Barracks were established in each region, and the Shiraoi Barracks functioned as the core of the guard.

The former Shiraoi Barracks of the Sendai Clan was completed at the end of the Edo period. For the next 12 years more than 100 feudal warriors were stationed at the barracks at any one time. The shogunate at the time ordered the Sendai Clan and clans from the Ouu region to defend Hokkaido against the Russian powers that were slowly advancing southwards as a result of the opening of the country. The region they were to guard extended over a vast area. Barracks were established in each region, and the Shiraoi Barracks functioned as the core of the guard. In 1867 the Edo Shogunate collapsed and the following year the Boshin War broke out. The new government's troops advanced into Ezo, where a plan was drafted to advance into Shiraoi in pursuit of the Sendai rebels in the former barracks. The Sendai warriors subsequently retreated to Sendai via a sea route ahead of the government troops' arrival in Shiraoi, thus ending their 12-year history in the town. Subsequently, the site of the former barracks was designated as the largest-scale national historical relic in Hokkaido, and it is currently lovingly preserved in the form of a park.

Approximately 300 exhibits of historical materials including dioramas and pictures reproducing the heyday of the former barracks, along with maps of the Ezo region, weapons and armor are displayed in the museum adjacent to the historical park. A look back at the 12-year history of the Sendai Clan's former barracks. In addition, situated on a small hill a short distance away to the west of the site of the former barracks is Shiogama Shrine, built by the feudal warriors to remind them of their hometown of Sendai. Also a short distance from the site is a warriors' tombstone that has been lovingly preserved to this day, providing a glimpse of part of the history that shaped the end of the Edo era.

• Opening hours: 9:30 - 16:30
• Closed: Every Monday (the following day if Monday is a public holiday), Year-end through New Year (Dec. 31 to Jan. 5).
• Admission fees

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