Shoin Shrine, Hagi.

One of the most popular tourist sites in Hagi is the Shoin Shrine which enshrines Yoshida Shoin.

Shoin was a local samurai who took part in the anti-shogunate activities that lead up to the Meiji Restoration of 1868, though he was executed in 1859 for his part in an assassination attempt, therefore the shrine is very much a part of modern shinto that emphasised those who supported the emperor and his rule.

The shrine was established in 1890 and moved to its present location in 1950.

Before his death he operated a school that now stands in the grounds of the shrine and many of the future leaders of the Meiji government were taught by him, including Ito Hirobumi, Japands first Prime Minister.