Byakkotais

The Byakkotai, or White Tiger Corps, was a small group of teenage samurai in the service of the Aizu domain during the Boshin War of 1868. Formed in 1864, the Byakkotai consisted of youths aged roughly 14 to 17. Their primary role was to support the main Aizu army in its defense of the domain against the encroaching Imperial Japanese Army.

The most famous incident involving the Byakkotai occurred during the Battle of Aizu. As the Imperial forces advanced on the castle town of Wakamatsu, a detachment of Byakkotai soldiers was tasked with guarding the Iimoriyama hill, a strategic vantage point. Believing their lord's castle had fallen and that their comrades had been defeated, and seeing smoke rising from the town (which was actually from burning houses during the battle, not the castle itself), the young samurai were overcome by despair.

Under the mistaken impression that the battle was lost and their cause was finished, the members of this detachment chose to commit seppuku rather than surrender. Out of the 19 youths in this group, 16 died by suicide, with three surviving their attempts, often due to the intervention of local villagers who found them. The story of the Byakkotai became a poignant symbol of loyalty and sacrifice in Japanese history, often romanticized in literature and art, though also a tragic reminder of the human cost of war, particularly for those so young.