History

Hagiokan (Hagi Road)

The Hagiokan was the main road linking Hagi on the Sea of Japan to Hofu on the Seto Inland Sea. After the Mori clan took control of Choshu Domain (present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture) and established Hagi Castle as their headquarters in 1604, they used the Hagiokan for the next 250 years when traveling to and from the capital in Edo (present-day Tokyo). Paving stones, milestone markers, and sites of teahouses can still be seen along sections of the Hagiokan. Tate Koji Lane, where you can see a number of historical sites such as Jippotei, was the part of the Hagiokan running through the center of Yamaguchi.