Sep.13th, 2020
Omote-sandō
Omote-sandō is the main approach to Dazaifu Tenmangū from Nishitetsu Dazaifu station. The 300m long street goes through the shrine town of Dazaifu Tenmangū, and is lined by many souvenir shops and restaurants.
Many foods such as Umegaemochi, a local specialty of Dazaifu, and sweets made of Amaō, strawberries produced in Fukuoka, are served in the shops.
A shop that draws more attention than others is the Starbucks Dazaifutenmangu Omotesando. It was designed based on the concept "The fusion of tradition and modern by natural materials", by Kengo Kuma, a famous architect who is also the designer of the new National Stadium. It is one of the 25 Starbucks Regional Landmark Stores in Japan, located in the symbolic place of each area with various local elements weaved into the design.
Goshingyū
Since the shrine's deity, Sugawara no Michizane, has a deep relation with oxen, oxen are regarded as divine messenger and called "Goshingyū". In Dazaifu Tenmangū there are 11 statues of Goshingyūs in various sizes.
Some of these statues are bronze and some are stone, but every statue is an ox lying down, coming from the story that where the ox pulling the oxcart lied down became the grave of Michizane.
The statues of Goshingyūs are also called "Nade-ushi (meaning: padding ox)", and is told padding the same part on the ox as the part you are injured or ill and you will be cured. The statue of Goshingyū at the entrance of the shrine gathers the most people, making a long line to pat it when it is crowded, such as in new year.
Ishi-torī
The Ishi-torī, stone torī standing just around the corner from the shrine's entrance, is a 6.4m high Myōjin style torī built about 700 years ago in the Kamakura period. It was dedicated by the lord of Chikugo-Arisaka castle, Nitta Ōinosuke. It is the oldest torī in Kyūshū and is designated an important cultural asset by Fukuoka prefecture.
Taiko-bashi and Shinji-ike
The approach to the main shrine crosses a pond called "Shinji-ike", meaning its shaped like the kanji "心 (Meaning, the heart)".
There are three bridges crossing the Shinji-ike, each one represents past, present, and future. It is said that crossing the bridge will free oneself of evil thoughts in each period. It is a Buddhist conception, and is one of the traces of the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism.
After crossing the first arched bridge, there is an branch shrine, Konnō shrine, and after the second bridge there is the Shika shrine that enshrines the three Wadatsumi gods. It is an important cultural asset.
Chōzuya
The chōzuya, a watershed to cleanse your hands, beside the Rōmon was built in 1934. Inside, there is a water bowl made from a huge stone dug out from Mount Hōman.
A turtle, that is told to keep off evil and prolonging one's life, is carved into the center of the water bowl.
Next to the chōzuya are a statues of a Kirin, a mythical creature, and a Uso, related to the Uso-gae ritual, both dedicated in 1852.
Hōmotsuden
The Hōmotsuden, also called Dazaifu Tenmangu Museum, is where more than 50 thousand treasured historic items, such as belongings of Sugawara no Michizane, and a part of the Kan'en, a reference book written in the Tang dynasty, are stored. There are also video programs about the history of Dazaifu Tenmangū and a souvenir shop.
Admission fees are ￥400, for general public, ￥200 for collage and high school students and ￥100 for junior high school and elementary school students. Opening hours are from 9am to 4:30pm, closed on Mondays.
Nakashima shrine
The Nakashima shrine, outside the corridor on the right side of the Honden, is a branch shrine established in 1954 of the Nakashima shrine in Toyōka city, Hyogo prefecture. It was established by the request of the confectionery industry of Kyūshū as the guardian god of confectionery, and is known as the "god of sweets".
The enshrined deity is Tajimamori-no-mikoto. Tajimamori-no-mikoto left on a journey to find the "Tokijikunokagunokonomi", wich was believed to be a fruit capable of prolonging life, under the order of Emperor Suinin. After 10 years, he finally found the fruit but Emperor Suinin had already passed out in the previous year. Tajimamori-no-mikoto lamented and after he dedicated one half of the "Tokijikunokagunokonomi" to the Empress, and the other half to the tomb of the Emperror, he died his sorrow.
It is said that "Tokijikunokagunokonomi" were Tachibana oranges. Also, compared to cherry blossoms that fall before long, leaves of Tachibana orange trees are always green, so it was a symbolization of eternity and permanence. In ancient times, the word "Kashi (菓子)", that are sweets in modern times, used to be a word meaning "fruit", and since Tachibana oranges was the most precious kashi, Tajimamori-no-mikoto became to be believed as the god of kashi.
After Tōgashi was introduced from Tang China, "Kashi" became a word meaning sweets such as wagashi, and Nakashima shrine became to be worshipped by the the confectionery industry.
'Ume-no-tane' Osamedokoro
Outside the corridor on the right side of the Honden, there is the 'Ume-no-tane' Osamedokoro to put plum seeds.
Since Sugawara no Michizane liked Plum blossoms, the core of the plum seeds, "jin (仁)" are called "Tenjin-sama" and was believed the spirit of Tenjin dwells inside. Therefore, the 'Ume-no-tane' Osamedokoro was built here in 1845 so plum seeds won't be wasted.
Ema-dō
The Ema-dō, beside the Shinji-ike, was built in 1813 by Okumura Gyokuran, who is known to be who drew the "Chikuzen Meisho zue".
Emas originate from pictures of horses dedicated to shrines in the place of actual sacred horses. In the Azuchi-Momoyama period, famous artists rivalled each other in skill and drew not only horses but also various pictures, and Ema-dōs to displaying emas played a role as an art gallery. The Ema-dō of Dazaifu Tenmangū is also an art gallery of various emas drawn by artists worshipping Sugawara no Michizane.
Rōmon
The entrance gate to the main shrine, the Rōmon, was destroyed by war many times. In the Sengoku period, it was rebuilt by Ishida Mitsunari, who was appointed Hakata bugyō by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but was destroyed by fire again in the Meiji era. The gate that exists now was built in 1914, and was designed by Eisaburō Sanjō who was an architect active in Fukuoka in the Meiji and Taishō eras.
Usually, a two-story gate without a roof on the first floor are called "rōmon", and those with a roof on the first floor are called "nijūmon". But the Rōmon of Dazaifu Tenmangū has a roof on the first floor on one side, and doesn't on the other side.
Lanterns, 2m high, are hung inside the Rōmon.
A pair of Zuishin-zos is settled inside the Rōmon.
Honden
The main shrine building, the Honden, was first built in 905 by Sugawara no Michizane's disciple Umasake Yasuyuki, and was rebuilt by Fujiwara no Nakahira, under the order of Emperor Daigo terrified by the "Curse of Michizane". The honden was repeatedly destroyed by war, and the honden that exists now was built by Kobayakawa Takakage, who became the feudal lord of Chikuzen Province, at the behest of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The construction took 5 years and completed in 1591. It has been designated as an important cultural property.
The Honden, is "Ryo-nagare-zukuri", a style of gable roof, with a large Chinese styled gable eave. It is an elegant building in an architectural style of Momoyama period, colored with gold and vermillion.
There is no Haiden, worship halls, like in other major shrines, so rituals are performed under the gable eave.
The interior also beautifully colored in red, black, and gold. Inside is the Shinza, the seat of the deity, and the grave of Sugawara no Michizane is under it.
Meoto-kusu
The pair of big camphor trees behind the Honden is called Meoto-kusu, meaning a couple tree, resembling the two trees standing close to each other with a husband and wife. The larger tree is estimated to be 1000 to 1500 years old. The trunk girth is about 10m, and the smaller one is 5m. Along with the Ōkusu, it was designated as a natural treasure in 1922.
Kankō-rekishikan
The Kankō-rekishikan, behind the Honden, is a small historical museum introducing the life of Sugawara no Michizane using 16 dioramas of Hakata dolls. It also displays various kinds of Tenjin dolls and goshingyū statues.
Admission fees are ￥200, for general public, ￥150 for collage and high school students and ￥100 for junior high school and elementary school students. Opening hours are from 9am to 4:30pm, closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Plum blossoms
Since the shrine's deity, Sugawara no Michizane, liked plum blossoms, plum blossom is designed as the shrine's crest. Dazaifu Tenmangū is well known for viewing plum blossoms, with about 6000 plum trees planted throughout the shrine.
Every year, the Tobiume flowers the first, followed by 200 kinds of white and red blossoms comes into bloom one after another, and can be enjoyed until March.
Tenkai-inari shrine
Tenkai-inari shrine is an branch shrine located at inner most of Dazaifu Tenmangū. It was established in the Kamakura period, somewhere in the 13th or 14th century, and enshrines the devided spirit of Ukanomitama-no-ōkami, known as the "Inari" and is the main deity of Fushimi Inari-taisha in Kyoto.
As the shrine's name "Tenkai" means "opened to the heavens", Tenkai Inari shrine was believed to bring happiness and good fortune, as well as good harvest.
In the Haiden, the worship hall, there are twelve bells hung in front. Each bell represents one of the twelve signs of the oriental zodiac, and one should ring the bell representing the sign of one's year of birth before praying.
Behind the Honden is the Oku-no-in, the rear shrine inside a stone hut.
Hōmangū-sanpai Tunnel
Hōmangū-sanpai Tunnel is a small brick tunnel located at the far most end of Dazaifu Tenmangū, well known as "O-Ishi Tunnel". This tunnel was built as a shortcut to the Hōmangū Kamado shrine, about 2km away.
This tunnel was built by Takichi Asō, known as a coal tycoon, in 1928. It was dug by the hands of man, using the technics for digging coal mines. The tunnel still remains as a property of the Asō family.
