Zozan Shrine in Matsushiro, Nagano City, dedicated to Sakuma Shozan (1811-1864), the late-Edo thinker and visionary. Shozan powerfully advocated for opening Japan to the West, adopting Western technology, strengthening coastal defenses, and learning artillery — serving as teacher to both Yoshida Shoin and Katsu Kaishu and contributing greatly to Japan's modernization. Born in Matsushiro, the land …

Zozan Shrine was planned during the Meiji era to honor the achievements of Sakuma Shozan (1811-1864), the visionary thinker of the late Edo period, and was founded in 1922 (Taisho 11). Born into a Matsushiro domain family, Shozan studied Zhu Xi Confucianism under Sato Issai in Edo before independent…