Chōshū Domain Shimonoseki Maeda Battery

The Choshu Domain Maeda Battery is a fortification made of stone foundations and earthen ramparts built on elevated ground to monitor the Kanmon Strait. The ruins display the remains of gun placements and protective earthworks that once controlled this strategic waterway between two major islands.

The site was constructed in 1863 during the late Edo period to protect the strait. A year later, Western naval forces bombarded the position during a conflict, causing significant damage and weakening its defenses.

The battery reflects the Choshu Domain's efforts to protect Japanese independence as the country modernized. Visitors can experience here the material history of this confrontation between traditional military strategy and Western technology.

The site sits on elevated ground with good vantage points over the waterway, though it is only about a 4-minute walk from Maeda bus stop. The nearby Shimonoseki City History Museum offers additional context and background information about the ruins.

Excavations at the site uncovered fortification plans drawn by British engineers and unexploded cannonballs. These discoveries directly document the technical dimension of the clash between Japan and Western powers.