YamaguchiLeisure

Shoka Sonjuku (松下村塾)

Flow of the course

Previous stop: Castle Town with White Walls and Black Wooden Fences—The Streets Walked by Late Edo Period Visionaries

About 15 min from the previous stop

About 45 min here

About 15 min to the next stop

Next stop: Before Heading to the Festival—Have an Early Supper at the Shopping Street

About this spot

This is the private academy presided over by Yoshida Shoin, where many young men who would play crucial roles in the Meiji Restoration, including Takasugi Shinsaku and Ito Hirobumi, were educated. The modest eight-tatami-mat classroom still remains and is a component of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site "Meiji Japan's Industrial Revolution Heritage." The adjacent Shoin Shrine grounds are spacious and include a museum introducing Shoin's life. Though it requires a short trip from the castle town, it's an essential destination where you can truly sense how much influence Hagi had on modern Japan's formation.

Tips

It's about 10 minutes by car from the Hagi castle town. While you cannot enter the classroom, you can observe it closely from outside. The shrine grounds have shade, making it a good place to rest during summer.