Hekketsu-hi, War memorial at Mount Hakodate base, Japan
Hekketsu-hi is a stone memorial standing about 6 meters tall at the base of Mount Hakodate with carved inscriptions. These inscriptions honor roughly 800 soldiers who died during a conflict in the 1860s.
This memorial was built in 1875 to honor soldiers killed during the Boshin War conflict of 1868 to 1869 at Hakodate. That war marked a turning point when Japan shifted toward a new form of government.
The name comes from a Chinese legend about warriors' blood turning into jade after three years when shed for justice. This symbolic meaning makes the site a place where visitors come to honor and reflect on sacrifice.
The memorial sits in a park at the mountain's base and is walkable from the city center. The path to reach it involves a comfortable walk through wooded trails, so wearing comfortable shoes is helpful.
A local resident named Yanagawa Kumagichi secretly collected the bones of fallen soldiers and buried them without government permission. His courageous action eventually led to the creation of this memorial.
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