Apud declan_murphy@hotmail.com (fj.life.in-japan) hoc legimus:

>Also, *as far as I'm aware*, both Goryokaku and Shiryokaku were
>designed using French influences by Takeda Ayasaburou (???????????????)
>, one of the "Dutch learning" scholars, without any input or advice
>from the British. Any there any source materials referring to British
>assistance with any of the above forts?

AFAIK that "star" design originated with Vauban, Louis XIV's
designer of fortifications. It was copied all over the place.

-- 
Jim Breen        http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/
Clayton School of Information Technology,
Monash University, VIC 3800, Australia 
ジム・ブリーン@モナシュ大学