Mount Iimori, Hilltop memorial site in Aizuwakamatsu, Japan.
Mount Iimori is a 314-metre forested hill in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, about 1.5 kilometres northeast of Tsuruga Castle. Its lower slopes meet the town with a short stone retaining wall, and the rounded summit is covered with trees. Two routes reach the top: a walking path and the paid Iimoriyama Slope Conveyor escalator. From the summit, the city of Aizuwakamatsu can be seen below.
In 1868, during the Boshin War, the Byakkotai's Second Company retreated from the Battle of Tonoguchihara to this hill. Seeing smoke over Tsuruga Castle, they believed it had fallen and killed themselves. Their bodies were secretly buried at Myokoku-ji at the foot of the hill; reburial was permitted in 1872.
The hill's name comes from its shape, said to resemble a mound of served rice. Nearby shops sell souvenirs themed on the Byakkotai, the Shinsengumi and the red akabeko cow, and the wooden sword was first sold in Japan as a souvenir here. The grave area of the nineteen Byakkotai members is a registered monument receiving about two million visitors a year.
The summit stands 314 m above sea level, about 1.5 km northeast of Tsuruga Castle. From Aizuwakamatsu Station take the Akabee loop bus to the Iimoriyama-shita stop, a two-minute walk from the base. The staircases to the top are steep; a paid slope conveyor offers an alternative. A free municipal car park lies west of the tourist information office.
The Sazaedo Temple on the northern slope features an unusual double-spiral structure where visitors ascend and descend on completely separate ramps. This architectural feature makes the experience different from a typical climb.
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