Dazaifu

Dazaifu is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Nearby cities include Ōnojō and Chikushino. Although mostly urban, it does have arable land used for paddy fields and market gardening. As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 67,428 and a 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.

Dazaifu, the imperial office governing Kyūshū, was moved from present-day Fukuoka after 663. Dazaifu hosted foreign embassies from China and Korea. Kōrokan, 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 Tenman-gū 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 Kyūshū was moved to Hakata. In medieval times, Dazaifu was the base of the Shōni clan, which was later expelled by the Ōuchi clan. In the Edo period, Dazaifu was a part of the Kuroda han until its abolition in 1873.

Dazaifu is accessible via Futsukaichi station on the Nishitetsu Tenjin-Omuta Line. From Tenjin station in Fukuoka there are at least a dozen trains per hour operating to Futsukaichi. The journey is 12 minutes by Limited Express or 25 minutes by Local train, and currently costs ¥330. Dazaifu has little of interest to the average tourist beyond Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine and the adjacent Kyushu National Museum, however, if you should want to explore the remaining ruins, you are advised to walk or bicycle.