The Kodokan was the official school of the Mito Tokugawa domain, founded in 1841. It survives as one of the best-preserved examples of a Confucian domain school in Japan, with the original main hall, Confucian shrine, martial arts hall, and several auxiliary buildings still standing in a quiet compound near Mito Castle.
The Confucian shrine (Taiseibyo) at its centre is particularly impressive — a formal Chinese-style structure housing a statue of Confucius. The school produced many of the intellectual and political figures associated with Mito-gaku, the nationalist school of thought that emerged here in the 18th and 19th centuries. The site is designated a national historic landmark. Admission is free and the grounds are open during daylight hours.