Yoshida Shoin was born on this hill on the outskirts of Hagi in 1830. Later, he moved to where Shoin Shrine is now located. There, he founded Shokasonjuku and educated numerous young people as their mentor. The young people taught by Shoin would go on to play important roles in the modernization of Japan. No buildings remain here today, but the layout of the house is indicated by paving stones, and there is a stone monument as well.

Bronze statues of Yoshida Shoin and Kaneko Shigenosuke stand near Yoshida’s birthplace. Shoin’s statue depicts him as a man looking out across the sea as he plans to board a foreign fleet and smuggle himself overseas to study the advanced cultures of other countries.