TALES FROM HISTORY

The Young Samurai who Sacrificed Themselves in the Name of Honor

The tragic, yet noble, tale of the Byakkotai White Tigers

Statue on Iimori Hill, where the young byakkotai looked out over the town of Aizu, Fukushima.

Background

The mid-1800s were a time of turmoil in Japan.

For the 264 years of the Edo Era (1603–1867), Japan had been ruled by the Tokugawa…