noun
school; institute; training center
A somewhat formal or old-fashioned term for a place where one receives guidance or instruction, often in traditional arts, martial arts, or specialized skills. Not the most common word for a modern school.
彼は剣術の指南所に通っている。
He attends a swordsmanship training center.
この指南所では茶道を教えている。
This institute teaches the tea ceremony.
道場 is specifically a training hall for martial arts, whereas 指南所 can refer to any place of instruction, not limited to martial arts.
Compound of 指南 (shinan, 'instruction, guidance') and 所 (sho/jo, 'place'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with a place of teaching.