萩城（指月城）

Hagi Castle, built in 1604 by Mōri Terumoto after the clan was relocated from Hiroshima following the Battle of Sekigahara, served as the base for the Chōshū domain that played a central role in the Meiji Restoration. The castle town of Hagi is one of Japan's best-preserved castle towns, with Edo-period street layouts still intact. Yoshida Shōin's Shōka Sonjuku private academy here produced Itō Hirobumi, Yamagata Aritomo, and Kido Takayoshi — leaders of the Meiji era. The Mōri clan patronized Chōshū swordsmiths, and the blades carried by the Chōshū loyalists who fought for the Meiji Restoration remain important artifacts of this pivotal era.