Mt.Iimori

Mt. Iimori (Iimoriyama) refers to a 314-meter mountain and the surrounding area located about 2 km east of central Aizuwakamatsu City. There are two ways to go up: on foot, or by using a slope conveyor. From Iimoriyama you can look out over the castle town, and it is also known as the site where the Byakkotai committed suicide. Here you will find graves of 19 members of the Byakkotai Shichu 2nd unit who took their lives, as well as graves of 31 Byakkotai who died in battle in various places. In addition, the area is rich with historic sites and attractions, including a hidden-Christian shrine, Aizu Sazae-do, Ugajindo Hall, Itsukushima Shrine, the Byakkotai Returning Tunnel Gate, and Taifu-zakura (a natural monument of Aizuwakamatsu City). With easy access—get off at the loop bus stop "Iimoriyama-shita" and you’re right there—it is said to attract as many as 2 million tourists annually. At the foot of the mountain are also highlights such as the "Former Takizawa Honjin," which served as the Aizu domain’s headquarters during the Boshin War and where Lord Matsudaira Katamori ordered the Byakkotai to depart for Tonokuchihara, and the city natural monument "Ishibe-zakura," which was used in the opening of the 2013 NHK Taiga drama "Yae no Sakura."