Kirk here with a note about Yokoi Shonan, an intellectual from Kumamoto who, as …

Kirk here with a note about Yokoi Shonan, an intellectual from Kumamoto who, as one Japanese book about him says, drew the blueprint for the Meiji Restoration:

徳永 洋、『横井小楠―維新の青写真を描いた男』 (新潮新書) 新潮社、2005.

The English-language Wikipedia page about him makes a similar case for his influence:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yokoi_Shōnan

He hasn’t gotten as much attention of Sakamoto Ryoma or others involved in the events leading up to the Meiji Restoration but his ideas seem to have been seminal.

I took the photo this summer at Shonan Park in the Mashiki area:

https://www.jalan.net/kankou/spt_43201aj2200024085/

I’d like to visit the Memorial Hall (横井小楠記念館) someday but I haven’t gotten around to that yet:

English https://kumamoto-guide.jp/en/spots/detail/64 Japanese https://kumamoto-guide.jp/spots/detail/64