The Battle of Aizu (Japanese: 会津戦争, "War of Aizu") was fought in northern Japan from October to November in autumn 1868, and was part of the

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a clique seeking to seize political power in the name of the Imperi ...

History

Aizu is the westernmost of the three regions of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, the other two regions being Nakadōri in the central area of the prefecture and Hamadōri in the east. As of October 1, 2010, it had a population of 291,838. The princi ...

was known for its martial skill, and maintained at any given time a standing army of over 5000. It was often deployed to security operations on the northern fringes of the country, as far north as southern

Sakhalin Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, r=Sakhalín, p=səxɐˈlʲin; ja, 樺太 ''Karafuto''; zh, c=, p=Kùyèdǎo, s=库页岛, t=庫頁島; Manchu: ᠰᠠᡥᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠨ, ''Sahaliyan''; Orok: Бугата на̄, ''Bugata nā''; Nivkh ...

. Also, in the period immediately before, during, and after Commodore Perry's arrival, Aizu had a presence in security operations around Edo Bay. During the tenure of the 9th generation lord Matsudaira Katamori, the domain deployed massive amounts of their troops to Kyoto, where Katamori served as

Kyoto Shugoshoku The was a Japanese bureaucratic office of the Tokugawa shogunate from 1862 through 1868.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kyōto-shugoshoku''" in ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ''see'Deutsche Nationalbibli ...

. Earning the hatred of the Chōshū domain, and alienating his ally, the Satsuma domain, Katamori retreated with the shōgun

Tokugawa Yoshinobu Prince was the 15th and last ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He resigned of his position as shogun in late 1867, while aiming ...

in 1868. Though the Satchōdo controlled Imperial Court, following Yoshinobu's resignation, called for the punishment of Katamori and Aizu as "enemies of the Court," (朝敵) he took great pains to demonstrate Aizu's submission to the new Imperialist government, finally acquiescing to calls for war later in 1868, during the

. Though the Aizu forces fought as part of the greater efforts of the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei, they were eventually abandoned (after the loss at the

Battle of Bonari Pass The Battle of Bonari Pass (Japanese: ) was part of the Boshin War, and occurred on the 6 October 1868 (Gregorian Calendar), or the 21st day of the Eighth Month, Keiō-4 year (Japanese calendar). The Bonari pass was a strategic access at the limit ...

) by the forces of the former Bakufu under

Ōtori Keisuke was a Japanese military leader and diplomat.Perez, Louis G. (2013)"Ōtori Keisuke"in ''Japan at War: An Encyclopedia,'' p. 304. Biography Early life and education Ōtori Keisuke was born in Akamatsu Village, in the Akō domain of Harima Prov ...

. Aizu, now fighting alone, had its forces besieged at Tsuruga Castle, the seat of the Aizu domain, on October 6, 1868. This was the start of a month-long siege. A detached unit from the Byakkotai ("

White Tiger The white tiger or bleached tiger is a leucistic pigmentation variant of the Mainland tiger. It is reported in the wild from time to time in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, in the Sunderbans region and ...

Company") — young, predominantly teenage,

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...

— are famous for having committed

seppuku , sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people ...

(a form of

ritual suicide A suicide method is any means by which a person chooses to end their life. Suicide attempts do not always result in death, and a nonfatal suicide attempt can leave the person with serious physical injuries, long-term health problems, and brai ...

) on Mount Iimori, overlooking the castle. Because of the smoke from the burning castle town, which was in between them and the castle itself, they mistakenly assumed that the castle had fallen to the Satchōdo forces. Their story is known because of the only one among them whose suicide was unsuccessful:

Iinuma Sadakichi was a Japanese military officer of the Imperial Japanese Army and former member of the Byakkotai of the Aizu Domain. History He lied about his age to join the military, and was assigned to the Byakkotai division - essentially a reserve division ...

. A remnant of

Shinsengumi The was a special police force organized by the (military government) during Japan's Bakumatsu period (late Tokugawa shogunate) in 1863. It was active until 1869. It was founded to protect the shogunate representatives in Kyoto at a time w ...

, a special police force which Aizu had supervised while in Kyoto, was present at the battle, under the command of

Saitō Hajime (born ; February 18, 1844 – September 28, 1915) was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, who most famously served as the captain of the third unit of the Shinsengumi. He was one of the few core members who survived the numerous wars o ...

. In addition, survivors from the

Shōgitai The Shōgitai (, "Manifest Righteousness Regiment") was an elite samurai shock infantry formation of the Tokugawa shogunate military formed in 1868 by the hatamoto and Hitotsubashi Gosankyō retainer in Zōshigaya, Edo (now Tokyo). The Shōg ...

engaged in the fighting, as did the Tosa Jinshōtai and the Shin'itai, a regiment of Shintō priests performing the role of spiritual advisors to the attacking Imperial forces. After a month under siege, on November 6, 1868, Aizu officials agreed to surrender, through the mediation of their neighbor, the Yonezawa Domain. Soon after, Matsudaira Katamori, his son Nobunori, and the senior retainers came before the imperial commanders in person, and offered their unconditional surrender. The samurai population was sent away to

prisoner of war camps A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. P ...

in the Tsugaru Peninsula, and the Aizu domain, as it had been since the mid-17th century, ceased to exist.

Gallery

Image:AizuCastle.jpg, The damaged Aizu-Wakamatsu castle right after the Battle of Aizu Image:Cannoneers in 2006 Aizu parade.JPG, Reenactment of Aizu cannoneers during the Boshin war. Image:Byakko-tai statues.JPG, Byakkotai warriors Image:Young warriors in 2006 Aizu parade.JPG, Reenactment of young Aizu warriors during the Boshin war.

References

* Noguchi Shinichi, ''Aizu-han''. Tokyo: Gendai Shokan, 2005. ({{ISBN, 4-7684-7102-1)
Byakkotai.net
Aizu 1868 1868 in Japan

October 1868 events November 1868 events