Hagi, Nagato Travel Guides

Hagi and Nagato are home to tourist attractions such as Takayama, Yasaka Shrine, and Daikakuji Temple; sightseeing events such as the Hagi Ware Festival, Hagi, Camellia Festival, and Hagi Period Festival; and local delicacies such as Uiro, Shiroo, and Hanakkori.

Located in the north of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Hagi faces the sea and was ruled by the Mori clan, but the story of the Choshu clan is so well known that this is their main border area. Although Hagi was originally a place of slow industrial development, Ryotaro Shiba's novels about the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, such as "Seki ni Ikimu Nichinichi" and "Hanakami," were set here.

Nagato is also part of Yamaguchi Prefecture, bordering the northern part of the Sea of Japan. Its topography is similar to that of Hagi City, which is similarly underdeveloped. It has a thriving horse mackerel and squid fishery, and in the past also had a thriving sea bream and yellowtail fishery.

Hagi was the site of various political movements from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period. It is well known that Yoshida Shoin established a private school called "Shoukasonjuku," which produced Katsura Kogoro (Kido Takayoshi), Yoshida Toshimaro, Takasugi Shinsaku, Kusaka Genzui, Ito Hirobumi, and many others. It is also famous for the Hagi Rebellion.

The people who came out of Nagato were the ones who greatly influenced Japan from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji era. Nagato is also famous for having produced the Abe family.

Hagi is most famous for Hagi Castle, the most famous historical site and place of scenic beauty. Shoin Shrine is dedicated to the famous Shoin Yoshida. Tenju-in Temple, where the tomb of Terumoto Mori, known in the old days for his "Three Arrows," is enshrined, is also famous. The "Kikuya Family Residence" in Hagi Castle Town is a National Important Cultural Property. Nagato was also a key "whaling base" during the Edo period.

As for gourmet food, Hagi is a land of very rich local products. Mishima Beef and Miran Beef are incredibly tender and tasty, Hagi's brand of fish, Kintaro (himeji), has an indescribable flavor that many people from Hagi are known to order, fugu and mebaru, which are famous in Kyushu, as well as setsuki horse mackerel, red sea urchin, chishanamasu, and anmitsu, which are available through autumn, The abundance of local products is so abundant that it is easy to get lost in the maze of things to do and see. You can naturally eat them there, but if possible, you would like to take them home with you. In such a case, please consider souvenirs.