Education is the cultivation of human resources that form the foundation of a nation's development. At the end of the Edo period, Meirinkan in Hagi was one of Japan's three major domain schools, along with Kodokan in Mito and Nisshinkan, the Aizu domain school.
Founded in 1719 (the fourth year of the Kyoho era) by the fifth domain lord, Mori Yoshimoto, in Horiuchi, to educate the children of the Mori clan's Ieyoshi clan.
Approximately 130 years later, in 1849 (the second year of the Kaei era), it moved to its current location. The approximately 50,000-square-meter campus includes school buildings, a martial arts training center, and a parade ground, where famous figures such as Yoshida Shoin and Kajitori Motohiko (Odamura Inosuke) taught.
This school built the foundation for Japan's modernization and nurtured many pioneers who led the way into a new era. The former Meirin Elementary School building, where classes were held until recently, has been renovated and turned into a museum.
It is a large, imposing historical heritage site. Be sure to stop by when you're visiting Hagi.
I was surprised to learn that Meirin Gakusha (the former wooden school building) served as a public elementary school until 2014 (it has since relocated to the neighboring property).
Four buildings are lined up in parallel, connected by walkways.
Building 2 is the museum, which requires an admission fee, and the other buildings include administrative facilities, restaurants, shops, and a public gallery.
The principal's office and some classrooms from the elementary school era remain.
The museum is packed with exhibits related to science, technology, and industrial development from the late Edo period to the Meiji era, and it would probably take half a day to explore them all.
The Yubikan (a training hall for swordsmanship and spearmanship) on the premises is a cultural property that has been restored and renovated from a building dating back to the Edo period.
When I first entered the building, a guide came and told me about the history and the facility in general.
I learned a lot!
This is a place where you can learn more about the Choshu Five and Yoshida Shoin. It costs money to enter Building 2, but the videos you can see there are extremely worthwhile, and you can learn about the aspirations of the people who were active at the end of the Edo period and during the Meiji Restoration. I was so engrossed that an hour and a half had passed before I realized it. I think this is the first place you should visit in Hagi.
It stands on the site of the former Choshu domain school.
Originally a school, it's now housed in a different building, and this site is more like a museum.
It's a very large area.
Parking is not free, so I parked in the free Onari-something parking lot and walked around, having lunch and visiting other historical sites.
There are four buildings, but I mainly visited buildings one and two.
Building one is free. It displays what elementary school life was like.
Building two is not free, but I wonder if a combined ticket could be used? There was no information, so I didn't know...
Building two has many exhibits of actual artifacts.
Geography, history, weapons made by the Choshu domain, astronomy.
It's very large and impressive, so if you want to see everything properly, it will take at least half a day.
Other historical sites might close by the time you get there, so if you're coming to Hagi, you should go first thing in the morning.
Afterward, I went to the Budokan, which was open to the public.
According to Ryotaro Shiba's book, Ryoma Sakamoto also visited here...
The main building is free. Building 2 costs 300 yen (adults), 200 yen (high school students), and 100 yen (elementary/middle school students). Building 2 contains the World Heritage Visitor Center and Bakumatsu Museum with approximately 620 artifacts from the late Edo period.
From JR Shin-Yamaguchi Station: Take "Super Express Hagi-Go" bus to Hagi Meirin Center stop (60+ minutes, 1,600 yen one way). From Yamaguchi Station: Take JR bus to Hagi Bus Center (1,800 yen, covered by Japan Rail Pass), then walk 6 minutes. Buses run approximately every 1-2 hours. Local buses also connect from Higashi-Hagi Station.
Visitors can explore nine distinct spaces in the main building, including a 90-meter-long corridor, restored principal's office, recreated classroom with original desks, and an attic observation room. The Bakumatsu Museum in Building 2 displays late Edo period scientific instruments, firearms, and medical equipment. Original structures from the domain school era include the Yubikan martial arts dojo and Suiren Ike pond. Volunteer guides are available for detailed explanations, and the facility includes a cafe restaurant serving local Hagi cuisine.
The facility closes on the first Tuesday and Wednesday of February each year. Otherwise, it operates throughout the year, allowing visitors to explore both the free main building and the paid Building 2 exhibits.
