Battle of Aizu

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Battle of Aizu

Attack of the Aizu-Wakamatsu castle during the Battle of Aizu.

Date	October 1868
Location	Aizu
Result	Decisive Imperial victory

Combatants

Satsuma, Chōshū, Tosa

Bakufu, Aizu

Commanders

Itagaki Taisuke, Ijichi Masaharu, Nakamura Hanjiro

Matsudaira Katamori, Saigo Tanomo, Yamakawa Hiroshi, Saitou Hajime

Strength

15,000 combatants

5,000 combatants

Casualties

unknown

Boshin War
Toba-Fushimi – Awa – Kōshū-Katsunuma – Utsunomiya Castle – Ueno – Hokuetsu - Bonari Pass – Aizu – Miyako Bay – Hakodate – Hakodate Bay

The Battle of Aizu (Japanese:会津戦争, lit. "War of Aizu") was fought in northern Japan in autumn 1868, and was part of the Boshin War.

Aizu 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. 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. Earning the hatred of the Chōshū domain, and alienating his ally, the Satsuma domain, Katamori retreated with the shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu in 1868.

Though the Satsuma-Chōshū controlled Imperial Court, following Yoshinobu's resignation, called for the punishment of Katamori and Aizu as "enemies of the Court," he took great pains to beg for mercy, finally acquiescing to calls for war later in 1868, during the Boshin War. Though the Aizu forces fought as part of the greater efforts of the Ouetsu Reppan Domei, they were eventually abandoned by the forces of the former Bakufu under Otori Keisuke, and were besieged at Tsuruga Castle, the seat of the Aizu domain, in October 1868.

The Byakkōtai ("White Tiger Company") was a group of young, predominantly teenage, samurai who committed seppuku (a form of ritual suicide) on a hillside overlooking the castle after seeing its defences breached.

The Aizu clan also patronized the Shinsengumi, which was present at the battle, under the command of Saitou Hajime.

Burnt down castle of Shirakawa-Komine, during the Battle of Aizu.	The damaged Aizu-Wakamatsu castle right after the Battle of Aizu	Reenactment of Aizu cannoneers during the Boshin war.	Byakkōtai warriors
Reenactment of young Aizu warriors during the Boshin war.