If you walk to the west from Higashi-Hagi Station, you will find the site of Noyama-Goku and Iwakura-Goku Prisons. Noyama-Goku Prison was for upper-class prisoners and Iwakura-Goku Prison was for lower-class prisoners. At the end of the Edo Age, there were battels between the anti-Shogunate faction and the former Shogunate force. During this period, many people were put in these prisons and many of them were executed.

The above picture shows the site of Noyama-Goku Prison. YOSHIDA Shoin was also put in Noyama-Goku Prison in 1853 after he failed to go abroad against the Japanese law in the Edo Age. The site of Iwakura-Goku Prison is located the other side of the street.

If you walk to the north from the sites of Noyama-Goku and Iwakura-Goku Prisons, you will arrive at Hamasaki Historical District.

Hamasaki Historical District has 10.3 hectare in area. More than a hundred and thirty historical houses are located to the district.

In Hamasaki Historical District, Senpukuji Temple is located. SenpukujiTemple is the family temple of YOSHIDA Shoin. The Buddhist memorial tablet of YOSHIDA Shoin is enshrined at the temple.

To the north from Senpukuji Temple. Sumiyoshi Shrine is located.

Sumiyoshi Shrine was founded in 1659. The "Ofunauta" song is the traditional song when the feudal lord of Choshu Domain ride a roofed boad of Choshu Domain. Now, the "Ofunauta" is performed at the festival of Sumiyoshi Shrine at the end of July every year.

The shrine buildings of Sumiyoshi Shrine are very impressive.

If you walk further to the north from Sumiyoshi Shrine, you will see the former YAMAMURA residence.

Former YAMAMURA residence was built at the end of the Edo Age. It was a wealthy merchant house. The main house building is divided in to two parts. One is for the merchant business use and the other is for private use. The merchant business part has six rooms and there are also two warehouses.

This style of Merchant houses in the Edo Age often remain in Kyoto or Osaka, but it is rare that the merchant-style houses remain in the western Japan.

Near to the former YAMAMURA residence, the old boathouse of Choshu Domain is located. In the boathouse, the boats for the feudal lords of Choshu Domain were stored.

The tourist guide at the former YAMAMURA residence kindly took me inside of the boathouse. The boathouse was built just after Hagi Castle was built in 1608. Total four boathouse existed in the Edo Age, but now only one boathouse remains.

There are more than two hundreds of feudal domains in Japan during the Edo Age. Other feudal domains which faced to the sea also had the boathouses for the boats of their feudal lords. Almost all other boathouses were destroyed after the Edo Age.

In the warehouse, a big old lantern and a huge mask of "Tengu", a long-nosed goblin, used for a festival are stored.

To the north of the former YAMAMURA residence, there are a couple of historical houses located in Hamasaki Historical District.

These historical houses remain the atmosphere as it was in the Edo Age. Hamasaki Historical District is designated as a Conservation District of Traditional Buildings.

How to get there
From Tokyo or Osaka, take a "Nozomi" bound for Hakata. Get off a Nozomi at Shin-Yamaguchi and take a bus to Higashi-Hagi Station. Hamasaki Historical District is located within the walking distance from Higashi-Hagi Station.

Other Historical Sites near by:
Former Shokasonjyuku School
Mausoleums of MORI Clan at Tokoji Temple
Kikuya Avenue Historical District
Horiuchi Historical District in Hagi
Ruins of Hagi Castle