Birthplace of Yoshida Shoin

This is the birthplace of Yoshida Shoin, leader of the Shokason-juku Academy, which is famous for having produced many of the figures who would go on to shape the Meiji Restoration. The picturesque hill, called Dangoiwa (dumpling boulder), offers a view over all of Hagi city. None of the original buildings remain on the premises, but there are foundation stones indicating the layout of the mansion that was set up in Taisho period, offering a hint at the life Shoin led until he was around 19 years old. There are bronze statues of Yoshida Shoin and Kaneko Shigenosuke near the birthplace, and a stone monument by a Shokason-juku Academy student Yamagata Aritomo.