During the Edo period, the children of the samurai elite were educated in schools organized by the government of the local domain (han). In 1860, there were 255 such hanko (han schools), and among them the Kodokan of Mito was the largest.

The hanko disappeared when the samurai class and the local domain system was abolished, but the Kodokan building was preserved until today, and it is now a welcoming museum…

Kodokan, Mito

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Japanese modern architecture, Hirosaki Otemon Square