Hakodate

Hakodate
Many traces and ruins of forts remain in the southern Hokkaido. These are called "tate,"(館) (meaning a manor house, and which sometimes changes to "date" depending on the word preceding it. Remember to pronounce the final "e"). Because of its square, boxy shape, people began to call Usukeshi Kono's House "hako date," which literally means "boxy house" and that is the origin of the city name; "Hakodate." But, there is another story about the name "Hakodate" which is that it came from the Ainu word "Hak-casi," which means "a shallow fort or a small manor house" in English. The Ainu are one of the original inhabitants of the Japanese islands and small numbers still survive and pursue their traditional way of life.
http://www.japancycling.org/v2/cguide/part3/hakodate.shtml