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Over 5000 artifacts are on display from the Byakkotai, Shinsengumi, and Boshin War.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
白虎隊記念館
A private collection of exhibits related to the Boshin War and the Byakkotai.
旧滝沢本陣
A resthouse that was used as a headquarters during the Boshin War. The Byakkotai left here to fight in the Battle of Tonoguchihara.
さざえ堂
An architectural wonder, the Sazaedo contains two spiral staircases running opposite one another so that those going up will never cross paths with those going down. It's a temple with 33 statues that represent the temples of the Saigoku 33 Pilgrimage in the Kansai area. Visitors are meant to pray at each to receive special blessings in lieu of visiting each of the real temples.
戸ノ口堰洞穴
It looks like a small spring, but is actually part of an ancient irrigation tunnel. It took over 50,000 men over 3 years to dig here from Lake Inawashiro. It is best known today as the tunnel used by the Byakkotai to escape after their defeat from the Battle of Tonoguchihara. Upon emerging from the tunnel, they saw smoke around Tsuruga Castle and believed the entire domain had fallen.
白虎隊ドイツ記念碑
A monument gifted to the city by Hasso von Etzdorf, a diplomat from Nazi Germany who was inspired by the story of the Byakkotai and felt it spoke to the German condition of the time. It reads, "To the young samurai warriors of Aizu". The monument was removed by occupying American forces after WWII however, it was returned after the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty restored sovereignty to Japan. This monument is viewed positively as showcasing that the story of the Byakkotai has international renown, as a timeless gift from Germany rather than a gift specifically from one regime. To this point, the reason given for its return to Iimoriyama along with the Roman monument was to "once again connect the spirit of Aizu to the world".
ローマ市寄贈の碑
A monument made from the pillar of a temple that was uncovered from the ruins of Pompeii dedicated in 1928 by Benito Mussolini who found the story of the Byakkotai inspiring. It reads, "Rome, Mother of Civilization, pays its undying respect to the brave Byakkotai by displaying the axe of the Fascist Party symbol, representing the authority of ancient Rome, and commemorating the thousand-year-old ancient symbol of eternal greatness". On the reverse side, it originally said, "Dedicated to the Spirit of Bushido", but this was etched out by the occupied forces after WWII. Just like the German monument, this one was removed and later returned, and is viewed as a timeless dedication, connecting the greatness of Aizu to the greatness of ancient Rome over its ties to Mussolini. There is a lot of pride in foreign recognition of Aizu's great warriors. Its historic importance as a relic from Pompeii also distracts from its donors.