Hagi, the Revolutionary City of Japan

Location:
Japan

Summer festival, cultural discovery, traditional hospitality

By Roger A Ward

The bus to Hagi deposits riders in a mountain-ringed walled city in the far southwest of the main island on the rugged coast of the Sea of Japan, about as far geographically and culturally as one can journey from ultramodern Japan and still be on Honshu.

Silver-skinned fish bask on mesh tables overlooking Hagi's town beach, drying in the summer sun. Arriving beach goers step off the intercity bus and search out this source of the sweet briny tang that saturates the air. "Not ready, not ready," the women tending the fish call out when passers-by offer to purchase a few of the shriveled morsels for a salty snack. "Festival tonight; eat them tonight," the women instruct, blocking the savage sun from their faces with large-brimmed straw hats. A few blocks away the abundant summer orange trees load the heavy air with sharp citrus and hints of musk from their ripe, yellow globes.

Hagi is the perfect respite after an exhausting in-depth tour of Kyoto or Hiroshima or intense shopping in Osaka or Tokyo. Audacious express trains speed travelers away from these crowded cities on the Pacific coast. One or two additional and much slower hours of motoring by bus through haze-crowned conical mountains trimmed with terraces of rice farms complete the quest for a more traditional pace.

A visit to Hagi in summer usually focuses more on leisure than history. Pampered stays at traditional Japanese inns, or "ryokan," immersions in "onsen", or hot, spring-fed outdoor baths, purchases of prized pottery called Hagi-yaki, swims in the warm Sea of Japan, feasts at the town's summer festivals and views of fireworks on the beach are worthwhile pursuits. Summer is also ideal for uncrowded cultural discovery.

Traditional inns in Hagi honor each entrant like a returning friend, with ritual bowing and warm words of greeting. Hibiscus-scented warm cloths wash away the journey's dust and ease the passage into ancient hospitality. In the lodge-like lobby of one inn, Senshunraku, fierce-faced mannequins in samurai armor pose stoically next to an indoor stream. The suites' anterooms allow shoe removal and optional changing into traditional robes. Lavatories celebrate the modern Japanese luxury of the push-button, electronic toilet that hosts a heated-seat and adjustable warm-water sprays. Sliding paper and bamboo interior doors unveil a spotless, orderly room of tatami mats. A knee-high table and two back rests offer the only furniture.

Hot green tea arrives simultaneously with pre-shipped luggage. The tea soothes and relaxes, while the mountain-to-beach vista excites exploration. The view to the right extends along a mile-long expanse of sand bordering a buoy-sectioned bay across to the town's small harbor. Rocky, pine-covered mountains lord over the town on three sides. Mount Shizuki, a high hill with fortress walls of a ruined feudal castle at its base, commands the view to the left.

Humid mystery shrouds a visit to the Hagi Castle grounds at sunset. Nobility, samurai and servants found fortune or doom in these expanses of stone walls and ramparts. Crows cackle in the air above, cavorting on the freshening late afternoon sea breeze. Their presence invites superstition. The blood-red ball of the setting sun transforms the swaying pines into back-lit sentries, the whispering avatars of long-dead samurai. Evening exhalations from these evergreen ghosts cloak wanderers with resin-scented mist. The castle moat cuts off stragglers from an easy retreat, but a half-moon bridge provides escape to the lighted town of the living.

Morning cool is perfect for active exploration of the castle grounds, teahouse and museum. Hagi Castle is the ancient citadel of the Mori Clan, powerful warlords who ruled the southwest part of Japan's main island from 1600 until the last half of the 1800's. The castle and numerous other historical sites in the city tell the history of samurai and the decade-long struggle to rid Japan of feudalism and the corrupt rule of the Tokugawa Shogun.

The history of Hagi is central to understanding Japan's rapid move from feudalism to a modern society. "The city of Hagi is revered by the Japanese people much as Americans honor revolutionary Boston," the English-speaking guide explains. "The destruction of Hagi Castle came at the end of a violent revolution and symbolizes the end of the feudal era in Japan like the fall of the Bastille symbolizes the end of the monarchy for modern France."

Leaving the castle ruins, a short walk or bicycle ride through zigzag streets lined with canals and ancient white-washed walls leads the visitor to discover the source of the wellspring for the revolution against Japan's isolation and its ignorance of the Industrial Age. A museum with a shrine and school narrates the history of Yoshida Shoin, a young teacher and revolutionary thinker from Hagi during the mid 1800's who envisioned a new country that embraced progress through Western education, science, and industry, but rejected the perceived decadence of the West. The adopted son of a high-born samurai, he longed to explore the world with Commodore Perry. Thwarted on this pursuit by the Mori lord, he dedicated his short life to the abolition of the privileged class.

One simple act by Yoshida of seating students in his school based on their achievements instead of their social rank caused the feudal overlords to shudder. They imprisoned and beheaded this revered teacher at age 29. News of the execution initiated a violent uprising throughout the country that finally culminated in the capitulation of the Shogun. The new government of Japan, led mainly by Hagi residents, restored the ancient role of the Emperor, installed a parliamentary style national government and instituted universal education, all based on Yoshida's teachings in his Hagi school.

The former samurai warriors of Hagi dismantled the castle they had long protected, stone by stone, to show fealty to the newly-important Meiji Emperor. Ironically, the destruction of Hagi Castle removed the city's main economic base, the training and housing of the Shogun's samurai soldiers. The abandonment of the samurai section after the destruction of the castle preserved the 17th century fortifications, streets and buildings from re-development or destruction. Hagi now tells the story of the feudal past in an authentic setting because it fought to escape feudalism.

Local government shifted to Yamaguchi City, which had easier communication with Japan's capital of Tokyo. Hagi became a nearly forgotten fishing village. Scant visitors sailed into its harbor or made the difficult overland journey through the encircling mountains until cultural tourism revived its economy over a century later. Even today, Hagi primarily entertains Japanese tourists. Few others explore so far from modern Japan into Hagi's samurai and revolutionary past.

Fireworks on the beach signal an end to the summer festival. On its last night, monks light hundreds of stone lanterns at two temples in the city, Tokoji and Daishoin, a once-a-year event. The stone lanterns mark the graves of the Mori lords who were alternately buried at one of the two temples. Hagi honors the past and offers respect to those who ruled from Hagi Castle as well as to those who struggled to free Japan from that rule. It is the traditional way of this revolutionary city.

Further Information

Other helpful information: Hagi is a small city and can be explored by walking or by rental bicycles, which are available in front of Higashi-Hagi Station and other places across the city. Another option is by one of two loop bus lines, which connect all major sights with the railway stations. The buses are called "Maru Bus" West Loop and East Loop and operate every 30 minutes between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Must see/do at this place: Hagi is the perfect place to stay in a traditional inn or "ryokan". Several in town have public and private hot mineral baths called "onsen", and most have massages and other spa services.

The remains of Hagi Castle is located in Shizuki park, located at the base of Mount Shizuki. There are several historic 17th century residences, storehouses and samurai barracks with period furnishings in the National Historic District near the castle and in the town of Hagi. Yoshida's school and shrine are open free to the public. Tokoji and Daishoin temples are impressive monuments to feudal lords.

Hagi pottery is world renowned and the Japanese revere it only second to the "raku" style for the tea ceremony. There are numerous shops in the city. The Ishii-Chawan Museum has ancient as well as modern examples on display.

You should avoid here: Avoid being in a hurry. Hagi has traditional food, hospitality and service, which is measured at a much slower pace than most other cities.