Kikugahama Beach

Kikugahama Beach runs along the northern edge of Hagi, a five-minute walk from the castle site, with views of Mt. Shizuki to the west, Mt. Kasayama to the northeast, and nearby islands. In the early 1850s, when Choshu domain was preparing for potential retaliation after firing on Western ships at Shimonoseki, local residents were ordered to build a defensive earthen mound here. Most samurai were away fighting, so townspeople carried out the work, including wives of high-ranking samurai who sang a song called Otokonara as they labored. The mound survives today beneath a leafy park at the back of the beachfront, known as Onagodaiba.