Ashikaga School

足利学校 ashikaga gakkō

Known as Japan's oldest university, Ashikaga School was established during the 1400s by deputy shogun Uesugi Norizane (although some credit Lord Ashikaga Yoshikane during the Kamakura period, and still others claim it dates from either the Nara or the Heian period). In any case, by the 1500s, St. Francis Xavier and other foreign missionaries recognized Ashikaga School as the most famous university in eastern Japan. The school was abolished after the Meiji Restoration and then converted into an elementary school when the site passed into city control in 1902. After a decade of preparatory work, the original grounds of Ashikaga School were beautifully restored in 1990 as a National Historic Site, a designation it received in 1921. The thatched-roof buildings and manicured grounds are well worth seeing.

• history

Address

Shōhei-cho 2338

Getting there

drivers can park directly across Route 293 behind a large souvenir shop; walkers along main street-Tōri, 1-chome-can turn onto the flagstone-ishidatami-entranceway at the Confucius statue

Hours

Daily 09:00-16:30 (16:00 October–March). Closed 3rd Mon October–March, 3rd Tue April–September

Price

¥400 per adult