Iimori Hill

Iimori Hill (飯盛山, Iimori Yama) is a mountain near the city of Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.[1] It is notable as the site of the ritual suicide of members of the Byakkotai (White Tiger Corps) in the Boshin War.[2] It is located about one and a half kilometers to northeast from Tsuruga Castle.[3]

Iimori Hill
Iimori Hill Honshu, Japan
Highest point
Elevation	314 m (1,030 ft)
Coordinates	37°30′13.4″N 139°57′21.5″E
Naming
Native name	飯盛山  (Japanese)
Geography
Location	Honshu, Japan

Iimori Hill

Gravestones of Byakkotai Warriors

There are two monuments at the top of the hill, one is a gift from Italian Fascist Party in 1928,[4] and another from Nazi Germany.[3] They were installed for showing great reverence for Byakkotai spirit, however, after Japan's defeat in World War II, the Occupation Army of the United States of America vandalized them.[5]

Sazae-dō

Iimori Hill has been heavily commercialized and the site includes many souvenir shops and exhibitions.[4] The staircases from foothills to top are fairly steep, though there is a handy escalator.[4] Downhill from Iimori Hill stands Sazae-dō (さざえ堂), an octagonal wooden pagoda built in the eighteenth century, which formerly sealed 33 statues of Buddhist goddess.[4][5] The statues were removed by Shinbutsu bunri policy during Meiji era.[5] Another shrine in the site is Uga-shindō (宇賀神堂) near Sazae-dō, which was built in late seventeenth century and deifies a white snake as god of abundance and fertility.[5]