The temple district at the north side of the Hagi castle town has a concentration of temples, as its name suggests. Central Hagi is located in a river delta, and the temple district, where some 20 temples and cemeteries are still densely concentrated, is situated on sand dunes at the highest elevation of that delta. Beyond the walls surrounding the large cemetery rise the high roofs of adjacent temples, and a maze of L-shaped and T-shaped street junctions can be seen.

The Mori family, which ruled the Hagi domain, originally ruled Hiroshima, but after their defeat at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, they relocated from Hiroshima to Hagi. When they came, they brought not only their retainers but their temples as well. Early maps of the castle town show a concentration of temples in this area.

We invite you to take a walk through a townscape that retains the distinctive character of a temple district.

Kitafuruhagi-machi and elsewhere in Hagi