Meikokan is an educational institution founded by the Fukao clan, the Sakawa’s feudal lord, in 1802. Some of the best lectures in the domain, such as arithmetic and martial arts, were delivered here, and the institution produced politicians and scholars, including supporters of the Meiji Restoration such as Mitsuaki Tanaka, the former Minister of the Imperial Household, and Dr. Tomitaro Makino, the father of Japanese botany.