It is said that Imori Mountain in Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, was the first tourist resort to sell bokuto and that they were byakkoto (white tiger swords), based on the swords of the Byakkotai (White Tiger Corps), a unit of which, comprised of young, mainly teenaged samurai, is famous for having committed suicide when they mistakenly believed they had been defeated.
初めて観光地で木刀が販売されたのは福島県会津若松市の飯盛山(福島県)で、白虎隊をモチーフにした白虎刀とされる。