[World Heritage] Sightseeing spots in Hagi | Hagi Tours and Travel

The Shoka Sonjuku was a small building of about 50 square meters, with one 8 tatami mat room, one 4.5 tatami mat room, and two 3 tatami mat rooms, a 3.3 m2 dirt floor, and a mezzanine, a wooden, tiled roof, and a single story building. From 1857 (Ansei 4), Shoin accepted and educated students regardless of their social status or class.
In 2009, it was added to the tentative list of World Heritage Sites as part of the "Kyushu-Yamaguchi Modern Industrial Heritage Sites."

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The castle was built by Mori Terumoto in 1604. In 1874, the castle tower, Yagura, and other buildings were all demolished, and only the stone walls and parts of the moat remain today.
In spring, the park is famous for its cherry blossoms, with over 600 Somei-Yoshino cherry trees in full bloom. The garden also has one Midori-Yoshino cherry tree, a rare cherry tree with pure white petals, which is designated as a natural monument of Yamaguchi-ken because it is a precious cherry tree that can only be seen in Hagi in Japan. At night, the stone walls of the castle tower ruins are lit up, allowing you to see the beautiful reflection of the water. (Additional fee: 210 yen)

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A reverberatory furnace is a metal melting furnace necessary for casting iron cannons, and its introduction was attempted as part of the strengthening of the Hagi domain's military power.
The remains that remain today are the chimneys, which are 10.5m high andesite piles (with brickwork at the top). There are only two reverberatory furnaces remaining, in Nirayama (Shizuoka Prefecture) and Hagi, making them an extremely valuable site in the history of industrial technology in Japan.

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After the arrival of the Black Ships in 1853, the Shogunate lifted the ban on the construction of large ships and later requested the Hagi domain to build large ships. The Hagi domain's first Western-style warship, the Heishinmaru, was launched in 1856, and the second, the Koshinmaru, was launched in 1860.
The Ebisugahana Shipyard site is the former site of the shipyards from that time, and a large breakwater still remains today.

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The Hagi domain school, Meirin YT was founded by Mori Yoshimoto in 1719 at Jonai Sannomaru and moved to Emukai by Mori Keichin in 1849.
It produced Kogoro Katsura, Nagai Gagaku, Yoshida Matsukage, Takasugi Shinsaku, Kaoru Inoue, etc., and was called one of the Japan's three largest universities.
The building of Meirin Yateisei-myo has been moved to Hondo of Haicho-ji Temple, which is located at Kitafuruhagimachi. The south gate is the front gate of Honganji Temple, and the Kantoku-mon gate is still in Meirin the elementary school.
The inside of the building is open to visitors, but only the exterior is open to the public. (*The interior is not open to visitors.)

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This is the family temple of the Mori clan, built by Mori Yoshinari in 1691. The main gate, Sanmon Gate, Daiyuhoden Hall, and bell tower are designated as important cultural properties of Japan.
The graves of the odd-numbered generations of Mori are enshrined here, and approximately 500 stone lanterns are lined up in an orderly fashion.

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It is a unique path surrounded by high earthen walls on both sides and curved at a right angle.
Horiuchi district was Jonai Sannomaru during the feudal era, and was lined with the feudal domain's various government offices and residences of large samurai families such as those of Mori clan, Eitai retainers, and Yorigumi were located.

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The streets of the castle town was laid out in a grid pattern, with Samurai residences lined up side by side, which remain unchanged to this day, retaining a vestige of the past.
*Kikuya House (additional charge: 520 yen)

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This is the house where Shinsaku Takasugi, the windbreaker of the late Edo period, was born and raised. Currently, a part of the building is open to the public. Although the building has been reduced in size since the Edo period, the site remains many of its original features, including the items related to Shinsaku, a monument to his name Tōkyō and a well where Shinsaku was bathed after birth. (extra charge: 100 yen)

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This is the birthplace of Kido Takayoshi, Betsumyo "Katsura Sho Goro", Yukue, who was recited as one of the "Three Great Masters of the Restoration". The two-story house at Kizukuri Kawarabuki where he spent about 20 years from his birth until he left for Edo Upon entering, visitors can see his birth room, hanging scrolls representing calligraphy he learned by hand as a child, and photographs. (extra charge: 100 yen)

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