Hakata and Fukuoka
Official English Site Hakata Old Town https://yokanavi.com/en/hakataoldtown/
It is generally thought that Hakata is another name for Fukuoka, but originally, they were two different towns lying side by side. Hakata was a commercial town that prospered as a trading port from the Middle Ages, while Fukuoka was a castle town endowed to the first Kuroda Lord, Nagamasa, as a reward for his contribution to the victory at the Battle of Sekigahara. In the Meiji era, when the two towns were united into one, there was a dispute about the name. In the end, Fukuoka was chosen as the new town name, but some places like Hakata Station retain the old name. Hakata and Fukuoka are separated on the west and east sides by rivers, over which Nagamasa built bridges. The island in the dividing rivers is the origin of Nakasu, meaning Central River Island.

Taiko-Wari/Taihaku Street
During the Sengoku period (from the 15th century to the 17th century), Hakata town was burnt down several times due to battles and was finally devastated. It was reconstructed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the leading samurai warrior, after he suppressed the Kyushu area in 1587. He made a rehabilitation plan for Hakata and executed it, dividing the town into new units (Taiko-wari). For this division, lines of streets like those of a Go board were built, with the middle of the two rivers set as the centerline in the north-south direction. As a result, many Hakata merchants who had fled from the battles returned, and the town regained its vitality.
Hakata was originally located on two separate dunes protruding into the sea (around the 9th century) and later, the two were connected (in the 12th century). The centerline from north to south was drawn by connecting the two highest points, which had been the tops of the two dunes.

Ryuguji Temple
Ryuguji Temple of the Jodo sect was originally located on the beach near the port. Legend has it that a mermaid was caught in Hakata Bay in 1222 and was offered to the temple as a lucky sign. The temple was renamed Ryuguji (the legendary name of the castle where mermaids live). The mermaid’s corpse was buried in this temple. More about Buddhism , Click here.

Shofukuji Temple
Syofukuhi is the first temple of zen-Buddhism in Japan. The founder, the great master Eisai learned zen teachings in South China and found the temple here to spread the teachings in 1195. On the front gate is the flat flame with a phrase hand-written by the Gotoba Tenno Emperor. The master Eisai introduced the custom of tea drinking to Japan. By then in China, tea was drunk by the Chinese people, especially Buddhist monks who were severely trained. They thought tea was good for strengthening their body. More about Green Tea , Click here. More about Buddhism , Click here.

Genjuan Temple
Genjuan Temple was founded by a Buddhist priest, Mugen Genkai, in 1336. The original temple was located in today’s Maedashi in the East Ward of Fukuoka City, but it was destroyed by fires caused by battles from 1573 to 1591. The temple was rebuilt in its present location by Oga Sohoku, the son of a wealthy merchant in Hakata, in 1646. Their graves are in the cemetery. Master Sengai of Shofukuji Temple spent his quiet days after retirement in a hut named “Kohakuin” in this temple.More about Buddhism , Click here.


Hongakuji Temple
Hongakuji Temple (本岳寺) originally belonged to a Zen sect (under the kanji name of 本覚寺). At the end of the 15th century, the chief monk changed it to the Nichiren sect because, although he was a good player of Go, he lost a game of Go on which he had bet his temple to a master monk of the Nichiren sect named Nichiin, who had come to Hakata from Kyoto. There are no other temples in Hakata that have changed sects. More about Buddhism , Click here.

Myotenji Temple
At first, Myotenji Temple was the Nichiren temple founded in today’s Yanagawa in 1381. Later, after being relocated, it became the family temple for the Tachibana Family in the Kuroda clan. In the early 17th century, a religious debate was held in this temple between Nichi-chyu, a high monk here, and a Christian missionary. Nichi-chyu won the debate, and to commemorate this victory, a new temple was built in today’s Central Ward and named “Shoritsuji” (with ‘Shou’ meaning ‘victory’ and ‘ritsu’ meaning ‘build’). More about Buddhism , Click here.

Nureginu-zuka
Nureginu-zuka is a monument in memory of a sad story from which the phrase ‘Nureginu’ originated. ‘Nureginu,’ literally meaning ‘wet kimono,’ is used to mean ‘false accusation.’ A beautiful girl made her stepmother very jealous. The stepmother had a fisherman falsely accuse her of thefts to her father, the provincial governor of Chikuzen. The governor checked on his daughter while she was sleeping and found a wet kimono placed near her. Believing the accusation to be true, he killed his daughter, ignoring her protests.
In the sad story of “Nureginuzuka,” the daughter killed by her father cried for her innocence repeatedly. Finally, her father realized his mistake and built seven stone mounds. Ishido Bridge was named for this story and the stone mounds.
Later, the daughter in the story of Nureginu appeared in her father’s dream and claimed her innocence. Finally, he realized he had been wrong, and to appease her soul, he built seven stone monuments, or ‘Ishizuka.’ Ishido Bridge is said to have been named after these ‘Ishizuka,’ as ‘Ishido’ means ‘Ishizuka.’

Kaigenji Temple
Kaigenji is a Jodo-sect temple founded in 1396. The temple precincts include two sacred halls: ‘Enma-dou’ and ‘Kannon-dou’ (rebuilt in 2016). In Enma-dou are statues of Enma-Daio, the ruler of Hell, and Datueba, an old woman who strips the dead of their kimono while crossing the Styx River.
At the Enma Festivals held twice a year, visitors offer konjac to the Datueba statue to pray for relief from illness. (The phrase “get rid of Aku” is commonly used in cooking to refer to removing undesirable bits from a soup. Konjac also needs to be prepared by removing undesirable parts.) Datueba is affectionately called ‘Konnyaku-Basan,’ or ‘Konjac Old Lady.’ More about Buddhism , Click here.

Senchakuji Temple
Senchakuji was founded in the mid-16th century as a Jodo sect temple. The term “Senchaku,” which is not widely known today, means “driving away the bad and choosing the good.” During the Edo period, a red-light district was located near this temple, and about 580 prostitutes were buried as Muenbotoke. (Muenbotoke refers to deceased individuals who have no one to take care of their funerals.) More about Buddhism , Click here.

Honkoji Temple
Honkoji Temple belongs to the Nichiren sect and enshrines Daikokuten, the God of Business Prosperity. In the late 16th century, a wealthy merchant from Hakata named Sotatsu Kamiya was nearly caught up in the Honnoji Incident while attending a tea ceremony hosted by Nobunaga Oda. However, in a dream, Daikokuten appeared and advised him to leave, allowing him to return safely to Hakata. To express his gratitude, Kamiya donated a statue of Daikokuten to the temple. More about Buddhism , Click here.

Hakata Sen Nen Mon / Hakata One Thousand Year Gate
It is a large gate, recently built, located at the entrance to the temple district of Hakata Town. It is a reconstruction of the original gate that served as a welcoming gate to Hakata on the main route from Dazaifu during the Edo period.
