6 Historic sites in Yamaguchi worth your time

Explore the foundations of an ancient provincial capital and its historical artifacts.

What it is

• Remains of Suō Kokuga, a designated National Historic Site.
• Site of an ancient provincial capital, or kokufu.
• Excavation surveys began in 1961.
• Maintained original form due to Todai-ji construction province.

What to see

• Stone monuments mark the four corners of the Kokuchō Remains.
• The Kokufu area was an estimated 850 meters square.
• The Kokuga area was 220 meters square with gates on all sides.
• Nara period pottery and a human-faced ink-inscribed stone.
• Chinese ceramics and domestic earthenware from a port site.

Read more about Remains of Suō Kokuga

Explore a preserved Edo-period coastal battery, a National Historic Site with significant historical remains.

What it is

• A battery site from the end of the Edo period.
• Built by the Choshu Domain.
• Designated a National Historic Site on August 5, 2010.
• A site of the Shimonoseki War from 1863 to 1864.

What to see

• Remains of the low battery, destroyed by French retaliation.
• Remains of the high battery, built in a hurry in 1864.
• Low battery had flat surfaces for cannon placement.
• Low battery was approximately 80 meters wide and 30 meters deep.
• High battery was approximately 50 meters wide and 30 meters deep.

Read more about Chōshū Domain Shimonoseki Maeda Battery

This UNESCO site shows traditional iron production, crucial for Japan's military modernization.

What it is

• Historic iron works, active for over a century.
• Produced iron using a traditional tatara blast furnace.
• Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2015.

What to see

• Archaeological remains of the central takadono area.
• Furnace and bellows structures.
• Iron sand washing facility.
• Drainage channels and a quenching pool.

Getting there

• Iron sand was carried 9 kilometers along the Tetsu no Michi from Nago port.

Official site

ohitayama-tatara.net

Read more about Ohitayama Tatara Iron Works

Explore this 4th-century square burial mound, one of Yamaguchi's oldest kofun.

What it is

• A square-shaped burial mound (kofun).
• Built around the early 4th century.
• One of the oldest kofun in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
• Designated a Yamaguchi Prefecture Historic Site.

What to see

• A tumulus approximately 27.5 meters north-south.
• Approximately 30 meters east-west.
• The mound is about 4 meters high.
• Excavated artifacts include a bronze mirror.
• Iron weapons and tools were also found.

Read more about Kunimori Kofun

Explore ancient Yayoi ruins and artifacts at this National Historic Site.

What it is

• A complex of ruins from the early Yayoi period.
• Designated as a National Historic Site.
• Settlement was semi-agricultural and semi-fishing.

What to see

• Excavated moats and numerous storage pits.
• Various pottery, stone tools, and some iron tools.
• Kofun period and medieval remains detected.
• Shimonoseki City Archaeological Museum is nearby.
• Museum exhibits artifacts from the site.

Read more about Ayaragigō Site

Explore Chōfu, a historic district in Shimonoseki, to discover ancient origins and samurai heritage.

What it is

• A historic region in southern Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
• Named after Nagato Province's provincial capital.
• Site of the Nagato Province mint.

What to see

• Kōyama-ji Temple, where Ōuchi Yoshinaga committed suicide.
• Samurai-machi, a district where samurai once resided.
• Kiridoshi, a street cut through a mountain.

Official site

chofukankou.com

Read more about Chōfu