Hagi Okan Historic Highway

Hagi Okan is a 53-kilometer historic highway developed by the Mori clan after the construction of Hagi Castle in 1604, connecting their domain and linking the Sea of Japan coast with the Seto Inland Sea. From 1635, the lords of Choshu and their large retinues traveled this road on alternate years as part of the mandatory attendance system enforced by the Tokugawa shogunate. The 2.5-kilometer section from Tenge-sakaguchi to Itado Pass at 537 meters is particularly well preserved, passing through forested mountain terrain and the remnants of rest stops. Walking sections of it today gives a direct sense of the rhythms of Edo-period travel.