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The former residence of Hirobumi Itō, the aforementioned first Prime Minister of Japan, and himself a former Shoin student. He served four terms as prime minister and drafted the Meiji Constitution. After serving as Prime Minister, he went on to secure the signing of the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1907, which gave Japan power over Korean affairs, and instated himself as Resident-General of Korea. Although Ito intended to make Korea a protectorate, a vote for annexation and internal pressure from the Imperial Army led him to agree to annex it. It didn't end up mattering, though, because his initial hesitancy was enough to get him ousted from his position by more rabid supporters. A few months after his ousting, he was assassinated on his way to meeting a Russian diplomat by a Korean nationalist. He was featured on the 1000 yen banknote from 1963-1986.
Here, you can not only see his childhood home but the residence he built in Tokyo was moved here and placed beside it. Even without knowing his story, his journey to higher status is clear when comparing the houses side-by-side.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
松蔭神社 shōin jinja
A Meiji-era shrine dedicated to Yoshida Shōin, a young samurai who taught many of the students that went on to become major statesmen in Meiji Japan. Yoshida himself would not see it, though; chafing under the policy of sakoku, he tried to persuade Commodore Perry to smuggle him out of Japan, was imprisoned, and was later executed after plotting against the shogunate. Within the grounds of the shrine, his school Shōka-sonjuku (松下村塾) is preserved. There is also a hall dedicated to his life story (09:00-17:00, ¥650).
玉木文之進旧宅
The home of Yoshida Shoin's uncle who first established the Shoka Sonjuku as a local private school.
東光寺
This is the family shrine of the Mori clan. The beautiful gate, belfry, and temple buildings show Chinese influence; behind the temple are the graves of several Mori warlords — and 500 stone lanterns to mark their power. It's a short walk east of Shoin Shrine.
桂太郎旧宅
The second-longest serving Prime Minister of Japan who served from 1901 to 1913 and the first to be removed from office after a no-confidence vote, this is his childhood home. He studied at the Meirinkan from here. He was well-accomplished before becoming Prime Minister as a general in the Sino-Japanese War and the Governor-General of Taiwan. As Prime Minister, he oversaw Japanese victory in the Russo-Japanese War and the annexation of Korea. His popularity waned as the public believed he was more concerned with military expansion than with improving domestic life. Eventually the Diet also lost faith with a no-confidence vote.
The house has a nice garden with a statue of Katsura Taro.
藍場川
It was built for transportation of goods, and also to supply water for extinguishing fires. Today, the path along the canal makes for a nice stroll.
旧湯川家屋敷
A samurai residence that uses water from the canal to form an attractive garden. The water is even directed into part of the house for domestic use.