The city of Hagi flourished as a castle town after Mori Terumoto built Hagi Castle in 1604, and is one of the most historic cities in Japan. The impressive samurai residences, the summer oranges peeking out of earthen walls, and the namako patterned walls, harken back to the characteristic streets of the Edo period.
Meiringakusha was built on the ruins of Meirinkan domain school, the center of education and training in the Hagi Domain, and the former Meirin Elementary School, including the main building which is registered as a tangible cultural property, is the largest wooden school building in Japan, which has been renovated to be a tourist facility.