Lantern Festival is held in the area around Maizuru Park in Takanabe Town, Miyazaki Prefecture, on around October 15 every year under the theme “To foster the moral principal,” which was the motto of “Meirindo,” the official school of the Takanabe domain established by the 3rd lord of the domain, Akizuki Nobutane, in the late 17th century.

About 1,500 stone and bamboo lanterns place in the main festival site as well as in many places in the town are lit at the same time, which fantastically illuminate this old castle town. Among them are unique paper lanterns made by elementary and junior high school students. Including the volunteers who light lanterns, all the townspeople cooperate with one another to make the festival successful.

On the festival day, various events such as the jazz concert “Horidoko no Utage” and the local product fair are held everywhere in the park.

The Chidoukan Shyounai Clan School is located in Baba-cho, Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture. It was founded in 1805 by the Sakai Family 9th generation Clan Lord Tadanori for the purpose of completely reforming the way of thinking of samurai, and promoting education.

The principal philosophy of this school was: 'Do not be caught up by superficial matters, but make an effort to rediscover common ground between people and causes.' As a method of reforming the samurai way of thinking, mathematics were employed, and the efforts of rediscovering common ground between people and causes were actually practiced in politics.

At that time, the government had been promoting Neo-Confucianism for the purpose of control, but the elders of the Shyounai Clan gathered opinions of those in the school and adopted Sorai-Confucianism.

The school was no different from others in its views of considering both academic subjects and martial arts as important, but the Chidoukan was revolutionary, being the only school in the whole country to adopt Sorai-Confucianism.

Famous alumni include Genrou Mizuno and Kanmou Kagayama.

In 1794, Maeda Harunaga, the 11th Kaga domain head, built Kanazawa Shrine to commemorate his ancestor Sugawara Michizane, Kaga domain head and member of the Maeda clan.

Harunaga also established a clan school, Meirin-dou, and dedicated Michizane as the protector deity over the school. Even though Meirin-dou eventually was moved to another place for the construction of Kenroku-en, the shrine remained.

Maeda Narinaga, the 12th domain head, built Takezawa House and invoked the same deity to protect the house, renaming it Tenman-gu. In 1876, it was renamed Kanazawa Shrine.

Kanazawa Shrine is famous as the best place in Ishikawa prefecture to pray for academic success. Many entrance examinees come to the shrine and fervently pray.

In the precincts of the shrine is Kinjo Spiritual Stream, along which Kanazawa was built. It is said that if you walk around the pond three times and pray, your wish will come true.