Mount Iimori (Byakkotai Graves)
飯盛山
The site where the young Byakkotai warriors took their own lives. The hillside has a memorial to nineteen of them, with a view of Tsuruga Castle, and it is a must-visit on any Aizu history tour.
Mount Iimori lies northeast of central Aizu-Wakamatsu. During the Boshin War of 1868, twenty young soldiers of the Byakkotai, the Aizu domain's youth militia, retreated to this hill. Believing that Tsuruga Castle had fallen, they collectively took their own lives. The memorial to the nineteen Byakkotai on the hillside still receives offerings, and there is a stone pillar gifted by the city of Rome. You can climb the stone steps or take a paid escalator, about 250 yen. The summit viewpoint looks out over Tsuruga Castle, and nearby are the Sazaedo and the Byakkotai Memorial Museum. It is about 15 minutes by the sightseeing bus from Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, and the grave area on the hill is free to visit.
Opening hours
Open all day (escalators about 08:00–17:00)
Nearby sights
- Sazaedo
- Oyakuen Garden
- Aizu Bukeyashiki (Samurai Residence)
- Higashiyama Onsen
- Fukushima Museum
- Tsuruga Castle (Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle)
- Suehiro Sake Brewery (Kaei-gura)
- Nanokamachi Street