Walking through Samurai Streets, Hagi City (Part 1) [Japan Travel🇯🇵]

Walking through Samurai Streets, Hagi City (Part 1) [Japan Travel🇯🇵]

I visited several attractive locations in Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, such as the “Hamasaki Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings” where you can stroll through the townhouses of the Edo period, the “Former Residence of Kido Takayoshi” known for the Meiji Restoration, the “Kikuya Family Residence” famous for its oldest townhouse architecture in Japan and its magnificent Japanese garden, the “Hagi Museum” where you can learn about the history of Hagi City, the “Horiuchi Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings” where you can feel the atmosphere of the samurai residences of the Edo period, and the “Hagi Castle Ruins” with its beautiful greenery.

0:00 Opening
0:10 Hamasaki Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings
1:22 Matsumoto River
2:34 Site of the Governmental Announcement Board
3:02 Former Residence of Kido Takayoshi
3:48 Edo-ya Yokochō
4:23 Enseiji Temple
4:50 Iseya Yokochō
5:12 Kikuya Family Residence
6:55 The New Garden of the Kikuya Residence
7:27 Kikuya Yokochō
8:24 Hagi Museum
9:28 Horiuchi Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings
10:54 Kasuga Shrine
11:59 Horiuchi Kaimagari
12:43 Shizuki-kobashi Bridge
12:53 Hagi Castle Ruins
13:43 Next Preview

◾️Hamasaki Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings
This is an area that flourished as a trading hub and port town on the Sea of Japan coast from the Edo period to the early Showa period. It was originally a fishing village, but developed into a commercial port with the establishment of the Hagi Castle town. The streets are lined with main buildings, earthen storehouses, and townhouses that retain the remnants of the Edo period, conveying the history of the bustling port town of those days and a somewhat nostalgic atmosphere of daily life to the present.

◾️Former Residence of Kido Takayoshi
This is a single- and two-story wooden house with a tiled roof where Kido Takayoshi (Katsura Kogoro), a revolutionary figure at the end of the Edo period and counted as one of the Three Great Nobles of the Restoration, was born and spent 20 years until he left for Edo. The room where he was born, the room where he studied during his childhood, and the garden are preserved as they were back then. Materials such as items from his childhood memories and photographs are also on display, allowing you to touch upon his origins.

◾️Kikuya Family Residence
This is the residence of the Kikuya family, wealthy merchants who flourished as official merchants for the Hagi Domain, and it is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property boasting a history of more than 400 years. It is one of the oldest townhouse structures in Japan, and within its vast premises, a luxurious main building, multiple earthen storehouses, and a magnificent Japanese garden spread out. It was also used as a place of relaxation for the domain lords, and valuable items such as works of art and folk materials that convey the prosperity of those days are on display.

◾️Hagi Museum
This is a core facility that comprehensively introduces the history, culture, nature of Hagi, and the footsteps of the predecessors of the late Edo period and the Restoration. It is characterized by its heavy, samurai-residence-style exterior, and inside the museum, valuable historical documents related to local great figures such as Takasugi Shinsaku and Yoshida Shoin are on display. There is also a corner introducing Hagi’s rich natural environment, making it a spot where you can learn about the charm of Hagi deeply and clearly.

◾️Horiuchi Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings
Adjacent to the Honmaru and Ninomaru of Hagi Castle, this is a prestigious area where the samurai residences of the domain’s high-ranking officials (such as the Mori clan and chief retainers) used to line up. Even today, white-walled earthen walls and grand Nagayamon gates continue orderly, maintaining a landscape that makes you feel as if you have slipped back in time to the Edo period. It is a beautiful streetscape representing Hagi, where the yellow fruits of summer oranges stand out against the white earthen walls.

Thank you for watching!

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