Hagi is proud of its part in Japanese history. Until 1868, it was part of the Choshu domain, ruled over by the Mori family, old enemies of the Tokugawa shogun. When the foreigners arrived in the 1860s, the Choshu, along with the Satsuma from Kagoshima, and the Tosa from Kochi, were instrumental in rebelling against the Tokugawa, restoring the Meiji Emperor to the top job, and pushing Japan into the modern world. Ito Hirobumi, Japan’s first Prime Minister, came from Hagi, as did many of his fellow Meijiera politicians.
