The city was officially founded on April 1, 1982, although it has been important historically for more than a thousand years. It was an administrative capital of Fukuoka at around 663 CE.
According to the Taiho Code of 701, an attempt by the Yamato state to exert further control over its territories, Dazaifu was given two principal administrative functions: to supervise the affairs of Tsukushi (present-day Kyushu) and to receive foreign emissaries. Dazaifu hosted foreign embassies from China and Korea. Kōrokan, a guesthouse for foreign embassies, was also established. The Korokan featured in contemporary literature, such as the Man'yōshū, as a place of departure for ocean voyages.
Dazaifu was sometimes attacked by rebels. At other times the head of Dazaifu himself raised a rebellion.[chronology citation needed] In 739 the powerful nobleman Fujiwara Hirotsugu was appointed to Dazaifu. He soon organised a rebellion, raising 15,000 men. After three months, the uprising was suppressed by 17,000 court troops. In 939 another nobleman, Fujiwara Sumitomo, rebelled against the court. Allying himself with pirates, in 941 he landed in Kyushu. Then he defeated the troops guarding Dazaifu and burned the state buildings. Due to this and other developments, Dazaifu never regained its earlier prestige.[4]
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.[1][5] The Shōni were later expelled by the Ōuchi clan.
Dazaifu has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa). The average annual temperature in Dazaifu is 16.3 °C (61.3 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,851.9 mm (72.91 in) with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.7 °C (81.9 °F), and lowest in January, at around 5.6 °C (42.1 °F).[6] The highest temperature ever recorded in Dazaifu was 38.6 °C (101.5 °F) on 20 July 2018 and 3 August 2023; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −5.6 °C (21.9 °F) on 25 January 2016.[7]
Climate data for Dazaifu (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present)
Tenman-gū shrine in DazaifuKyushu National MuseumView in front of Dazaifu StationKengo Kuma-designed Starbucks coffee shop
The Kyushu National Museum opened on October 16, 2005. A wood and glass building in a hilly landscape, it hosts collections of Japanese artifacts related to the history of Kyūshū.
Kōmyōzen-ji is a Zentemple famous for its stone garden. It was built during the Kamakura period just next to Dazaifu Tenman-gū. Another temple, Kanzeon-ji, was built in the 8th century. It was once the chief Buddhist temple on Kyūshū[9] and houses a number of historical, artistic, and religious treasures. All three are within walking distance of NishitetsuDazaifu Station.
The ruins of the medieval Dazaifu Administrative Buildings, also located within walking distance of Dazaifu Station, are today a public park.
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