The former Yubikan, developed as a place of learning for the Date clan, is a valuable cultural property designated as a National Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty. It functioned as a precursor to the domain school during the period when Date Masamune was based at Iwadeyama (1591–1601), and was used for the education of samurai retainers' children. The extant buildings were reconstructed in …

The origins of Kyū-Yubikan date to 1591, when Date Masamune was ordered by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to relocate to Iwadeyama Castle, after which the site is said to have functioned as a school for the education of samurai retainers' children. When Masamune moved to Sendai in 1601, his fourth son Muneyasu …