//
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.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
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.
渡辺蒿蔵旧宅
Considered a leader in shipbuilding who helped construct the Tategami dock, said to have been the best dock in all of Asia at the time. In his youth, Watanabe studied at the Shoka Sonjuku before traveling to the United States and United Kingdom to study naval architecture. He returned to become one of the heads of the Nagasaki Shipyard. The house is larger than most in Hagi. In addition to the main house, there is also a storehouse, a tearoom, and a garden.
明倫館
Established by the Choshu-han, this school for gifted children used to be on the third floor of Hagi Castle, but moved to its own facilities in 1863. The school building is still in use as a part of elementary school. Visitors are free to tour the grounds, but not the interior.
伊藤博文旧宅 itō hirobumi kyūtaku
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.
大照院
The Mori warlords who aren't at Toko-ji are buried here - along with the graves of several retainers, who committed seppuku upon the death of their masters. The atmosphere at Daisho-in is strikingly calm, though, compared to the pomp of Tokoji. Daishoin is listed among the temples of the Chugoku 33 Temple Pilgrimage.