Meirinkan

What to know

The Former Hagi Clan School Meirinkan (旧萩藩校明倫館) was founded in 1718 to educate the children of the Mori clan, the local feudal lords. For about 130 years, the school stood on the grounds of Hagi Castle before being relocated to its present site just outside the former castle town to allow for expansion. After the feudal period ended, the buildings served as an elementary school until 2014.

Today, four long wooden schoolhouses and a few smaller structures remain, including one that was once the sports hall where students practiced swordsmanship and spear throwing. Two of the schoolhouses are open to the public: the Honkan and the Nigokan. The Honkan is free to enter and houses tourist information facilities, while the Nigokan contains a paid museum accessible through the Honkan.

The museum focuses on the era for which Hagi is most famous: the final years of the feudal period, when the local domain played a key role in overthrowing the shogunate. It is divided into two sections. One covers science and technology from that time, highlighting modernization efforts. Displays include medical tools, calendars, clocks, guns, and cannons.

The other section is dedicated to Hagi's World Heritage sites, such as the ruins of a cannon furnace, an ironworks, a shipyard, Yoshida Shoin's school, and the former castle town—all closely tied to the late feudal era.

The Former Hagi Clan School Meirinkan is located across from Hagi City Hall, about two kilometers from Higashi-Hagi Station. It is a ten-minute bike ride or a 30-minute walk from the station, and is also served by both lines of the Maru Bus. The nearest bus stop is "Hagi Center Meirin."