World Heritage Sites: Hagi Castle Town and the Shokasonjuku Academy

YAMAGUCHI CULTURE

World Heritage Sites: Hagi Castle Town and the Shokasonjuku Academy_2

World Heritage Sites: Hagi Castle Town and the Shokasonjuku Academy_3

World Heritage Sites: Hagi Castle Town and the Shokasonjuku Academy_4

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Hagi was constructed as a castle town when the Sengoku period daimyo (feudal lord) Mori Terumoto built Hagi Castle in 1604. Since then, for 260 years, it prospered as the center of politics, government, and economy for the Hagi (Choshu) Domain.

The townscape, with its castle ruins, samurai residences, and earthen walls, is reminiscent of those times, and even now, it is thick with nostalgia. It has also been chosen as one of Japan's 100 most beautiful historical sites.

In addition, the Shokasonjuku Academy, built by the famous samurai Yoshida Shoin, also stands in the city. It is a small building just 50㎡ wide, and while the term for students here was only a little over 2 years long, it turned out many outstanding and talented people that played important roles in remaking the country from the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate into the Meiji Restoration.

In 2015, a collection of Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution", including Hagi Castle Town and the Shokasonjuku Academy, were registered as World Cultural Heritage Sites."

View scenic routes that include this spot

A tour of 2000 years of Japanese history

ACT & RELAX

More Information about World Heritage Sites: Hagi Castle Town and the Shokasonjuku Academy

Street address: Horiuchi, Hagi City, Yamaguchi; others
About YAMAGUCHI

Access

Route1

Take a bus from JR Shin-Yamaguchi Station (Super Hagi-go") for about 60 minutes. to "Hagi-Meirin Center Mae". After getting off, take the Hagi Maru Loop Bus.
(1) Hagi Castle Town
Take the West Loop (Shinsaku-kun) bus to "Hagi Hakubutsukan Mae" (about 15 minutes.)
(2) Shokasonjuku Academy
Take the East Loop (Shoin-sensei) bus to "Shoin Jinja Mae" (about 40 minutes.)
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Route2

From JR Hagi Station, take the Hagi Maru Loop Bus
(1) Hagi Castle Town
Take the West Loop bus (Shinsaku-kun) to Hagi Hakubutsukan Mae" (about 40 minutes.)
(2) Shokasonjuku Academy
Take the East Loop bus (Shoin-sensei) to "Shoin Jinja Mae" (about 30 minutes.)"

Opening Hours: All day

Closed: Open all year

Website: https://www.visit-jy.com/en/spots/14354

Best season: May, Oct.

Point: Hagi is a city brimming with charm. The cityscape is well-suited to kimonos, and Kimono Week in Hagi" where people walk the city in kimonos during Octobers is highly recommended.
By walking through the city in a kimono, you can enjoy the atmosphere of the good old days of Japan.
May, the season where the sweet fragrance of Summer Orange flowers permeates the city, is also highly recommended.
The Showa Emperor said that, when he was a prince, he saw the sights in Hagi and asked, "Do they spray perfume in this city?".
Hagi was also chosen by the Ministry of the Environment as one of Japan's best aromatic landscapes."

update: Sep.3.2024