Dazaifu, Fukuoka

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Dazaifu (太宰府市; -shi) is a city located in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan. Nearby cities include Onojo and Chikushino.

Image:Dazaifu shrine.jpg As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 67,428 and the density of 2,277.20 persons per km². The total area is 29.61 km².

The city was officially founded on April 1, 1982, although it has been important historically for around a thousand years.

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History

Dazaifu, the imperial office governing Kyushu, was moved from present-day Fukuoka after 663. Dazaifu hosted foreign embassies from China and Korea. Korokan, a guesthouse for foreign embassies, was also established. From the Nara period through the Heian period and until the Kamakura period, Dazaifu was one of the military and administrative centers of Japan. In the Heian period, Dazaifu was a place of exile for high-ranking courtiers. Nobles exiled there include Sugawara no Michizane, who was later deified, and upon whose grave the Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine stands.

Dazaifu was sometimes attacked by rebels. At other times the head of Dazaifu himself raised a rebellion.

With the invasions of the Mongols and the decline of imperial authority, Dazaifu became less politically significant. In the Muromachi period the political center of Kyushu was moved to Hakata.

In medieval times, Dazaifu was the base of the Shoni clan, which was later expelled by the Ouchi clan.

In the Edo period, Dazaifu was a part of Kuroda han till its abolishment in 1873.

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Attractions

The Kyushu National Museum has opened on October 16, 2005. A striking wood and glass building in a hilly landscape, it hosts important collections of Japanese artifacts, related to the history of Kyushu.

Komyozenji is a Zen temple famous for its beautiful stone garden. Komyozenji was built during the Kamakura period just next to Dazaifu Tenman-gu.

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