Cemeteries are not only for the deceased, but also for everyone who is alive. A place of rest and reflection, where you can often learn a thing or two. On our last walk, we had made a small detour that brought us to a historic cemetery right next to a larger shrine.
In this cemetery, the remains of some of the fallen soldiers from the Boshin War are buried and hopefully have found their final resting place here. The Boshin War broke out in 1868 at the end of the Edo period, when the imperial troops of the re-empowered emperor engaged in fierce battles with the allies of the Tokugawa shogunate. Even after the last shogun, Yoshinobu Tokugawa, had already laid down his arms and accepted the emperor's power, many of the daimyos allied with him would not surrender without fighting. This led to several clashes and battles, which ended in a full-fledged civil war.
In the end, the imperial army was better equipped and was able to gain the upper hand, marking the end of the Japanese feudal period and also of the samurai. However it marked the beginning of modernization and the Japanese modern era.
Fierce battles also took place in our corner of the country at that time and the cemetery we were visiting today is a witness to these historical events. Located in a small grove, this place is perfect for a little historical reflection.
On this sign you can read a bit of history and I tried to translate it for you. Fortunately there are now many tools to get such task done.
The troops loyal to the Shogun are referred to here as the Eastern Army and the ultimately victorious Imperial troops as the Western Army.
Boshin-Niigata War ( in 1868)
In year 4 of Keio (the first year of Meiji), the Battle of Karasuha-Fushimi began, and the Satcho-led Western Army captured Kashiwazaki and Ojiya in April and Nagaoka in July.
On July 25, the Western army landed by sea at Matsukazaki, and for five days, until July 29, the city of Niigata was turned into a battlefield, and fierce fighting took place between the Eastern army (Yonezawa, Aizu, and Shonai) and the Western army, in which many soldiers were killed.
The tombstone for the fallen of the Western Army was erected on Tokaibangaoka in 1875 and became a Shinto shrine, which was moved to Gokuko Shrine in 1945.
In 1985, ninety-two remains believed to be Eastern Army fallen were discovered on the site of the former Niigata University headquarters (the site of the former Shokonsha) and interred here.
In honor of the Boshin War, a memorial to the Eastern Army was built with the cooperation of many people.
In this cemetery rest the precious souls of those who died for their country, whether they came from the East or the West.
May the warriors who fell in a foreign land rest in peace.
November 5, 1988
This is the entrance to the cemetery, which is only a few hundred meters from the sea. A suitable place, I would say.
The next pictures show some of the monuments and tombstones that commemorate fallen soldiers in the cemetery. Many young souls gave their lives in these battles, may they now have found their final peaceful resting place there.
