Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine

Temporary hall in front of Dazaifu Tenmangu honden undergoing renovations. Some trees and plants growing on the roof. — Temporary hall in front of **Dazaifu Tenmangu** *honden* undergoing renovations. Some trees and plants growing on the roof.

Fukuoka Prefecture’s No. 1 tourist spot.

Dazaifu (太宰府市) is a city in central Fukuoka Prefecture, a short distance by train from the city of Fukuoka.

Dazaifu (and Fukuoka Prefecture) is by far best known for Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine (太宰府天満宮). It’s one of Japan’s most important and famous Shinto shrines, being the headquarters shrine for all Tenmangu and Tenjin (天神) shrines (12,000) dedicated to Japanese scholar and poet Sugawara Michizane (845–903).

Sugawara Michizane

Michizane in his better days dressed as a noble.

Michizane was a scholarly nobleman working in government in the capital of Kyoto. However, political conflict and rivalry had him demoted and exiled to Dazaifu in 901. He was banished to prison-like, dilapidated quarters with a leaking roof. Local government officials were not allowed to provide him with food. It was virtually a slow-motion execution. Dazaifu was a major government capital in Kyushu from the late 7th century to the early 12th century.

He loved his plum blossoms at his Kyoto residence and was very sad to leave them. He wrote a waka poem bidding them farewell, telling them to keep blooming every spring.

Plum blossoms flying from Kyoto to Dazaifu. The plum trees that flew over still bloom at the shrine.

Legend says that his beloved plum blossoms “flew through the air” from his Kyoto residence to his backyard in Dazaifu. That’s why Dazaifu Tenmangu has thousands of plum blossom trees which bloom in March and most all Tenmangu and Tenjin shrines also have plum blossoms. Many of the shrines hold a Plum Blossom Festival during plum blossom season. The shrine’s emblem is also a plum blossom design.

Michizane died in poverty two years after he was exiled to Dazaifu. As Michizane instructed in his will, his body was put on an ox cart and the ox was let go from his residence at Enoki-sha Shrine. He wished to be buried at wherever the ox would stop.

Reclining ox at Kameido Tenjin Shrine in Tokyo. People rub the nose for good luck.

After walking for a while, the ox stopped and lay down at this one spot. This was where Michizane was buried and where the forerunner shrine of Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine was built in the 10th century. This also explains the statue of a reclining ox found at Tenmangu/Tenjin shrines.

Soon after his death, government authorities perceived him to be the vengeful spirit behind the untimely deaths of the emperor’s sons, lightning strikes on palace buildings, and the drought, plague, and floods besieging Kyoto.

To appease his vengeance, the Imperial government built Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto which is still a major Shinto shrine today. His noble title and office were also posthumously restored.

However, it still wasn’t enough, so he was deified as Tenjin (天神) who evolved into a benevolent deity of scholarly learning. Today, he is worshipped by thousands of Tenmangu/Tenjin shrines all over Japan.

Yushima Tenjin Shrine in Tokyo, high school students hang their ema prayer tablets — **Left:** At Yushima Tenjin Shrine in Tokyo, high school students hang their *ema* prayer tablets written with a wish to pass school entrance exams.
**Right:** Ema tablet written by a Japanese high school student aiming for Harvard University. He also states his disdain for Japanese universities. (His name blurred.)

Yushima Tenjin Shrine in Tokyo, ema prayer tablets — **Left:** At Yushima Tenjin Shrine in Tokyo, high school students hang their *ema* prayer tablets written with a wish to pass school entrance exams.
**Right:** Ema tablet written by a Japanese high school student aiming for Harvard University. He also states his disdain for Japanese universities. (His name blurred.)

Many students (and their parents) pray at Tenmangu/Tenjin shrines hoping to pass school entrance exams or do well in school. You can see many ema prayer tablets written with their wishes (合格祈願).

Plum blossoms at Kameido Tenjin Shrine, a famous Tenjin shrine in Tokyo.

The basic layout and features of many of the Tenmangu/Tenjin shrines are modeled after Dazaifu Tenmangu. There’s a torii gate, pond, and taikobashi arch bridge. The shrine’s crest is also a plum blossom.

Even Hawaii has a Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, in Honolulu. It’s combined with Kotohira/Konpira Shrine. Shinto shrines in Hawaii are not as prevalent as Buddhist temples.

Umegae mochi

In Dazaifu, a famous confection is umegae mochi (梅ヶ枝餅). It’s sweet, azuki-filled, grilled rice cakes. Although it literally means “plum branch rice cake,” there’s no plum except for a plum design stamped on it. You can find it at shops along the path to Dazaifu Tenmangu.

Old nun offering mochi rice cake on a plum branch to Michizane. — Old nun taking mochi rice cake on a plum branch to Michizane.

Umegae mochi is associated with Michizane by legend or folktale. One says that while Michizane was starving and depressed living in exile at his rundown Enoki-sha Shrine in Dazaifu, a sympathetic, old nun named Jomyo-ni (浄妙尼) occasionally gave him some mochi rice cakes to cheer him up. He liked the mochi.

The nun gave him the mochi rice cakes on a plum branch and stuck it through the bars of his cell since she couldn’t reach him by hand.

Another story says that when Michizane died, the nun placed the mochi together with a plum branch as offerings to his grave or temple.

This is where the name of the mochi comes from. However, the exact origin and exact shop that started making and selling umegae mochi remain unknown. Shops selling it are in agreement on the basic recipe.

There are many other legends surrounding Michizane, making him one of Japan’s most revered and storied historical figures.

Reiwa

Another thing about Dazaifu that must be mentioned is the current Japanese era name Reiwa (令和). Upon the ascension of Emperor Naruhito on May 1, 2019, the new and current era named “Reiwa” began.

The kanji characters for Reiwa were taken from a poem in the Man’yoshu, an eighth-century anthology of waka poetry. The poem was about viewing plum blossoms on a fine spring day and was composed and read in the 8th century by Dazaifu Governor Otomo-no-Tabito (大伴旅人) during a plum blossom viewing party at his villa’s plum garden (now the site of Sakamoto Hachimangu Shrine) in Dazaifu. He invited Kyushu officials to the party.

時に、初春の令月にして、気淑く風和ぎ、梅は鏡前の粉を披き、蘭は珮後の香を薫す。
Toki ni, shoshun no reigetsu ni shite, kiyoku kaze yawaragi, ume wa kyōzen no ko o hiraki, ran wa haigo no kō o kaorasu.

It was in new spring, in a fair (rei) month,
When the air was clear and the wind a gentle (wa) breeze.
Plum flowers blossomed a beauty’s charming white
And the fragrance of the orchids was their sweet perfume.

They read 32 poems about plum blossoms. The Reiwa poem was the opening headnote for the series of 32 poems. The two characters rei (令) and wa (和) appear separately in the poem. Within the context of the poem, rei describes the month (令月) as fair, fine, or auspicious.

And wa, describing a breeze, can mean gentle. When they put rei and wa together as Reiwa, they were two adjectives which didn’t make sense together. Even the Japanese had problems understanding the meaning especially since rei (令) usually means “command” or edict.

It was also problematic to translate it into English. Confusion over the ambiguous meaning resulted in English media making up different English translations such as “order and harmony” and “auspicious peace,” far from the original context of the poem.

Then Prime Minister Abe declared that the English was “beautiful harmony” which still made us scratch our heads. These days though, no one cares anymore. It’s just a name.

Dazaifu is also a poetry town with many poetry monuments. Plum blossoms, poetry, and Michizane define Dazaifu.

Getting to Dazaifu

From JR Hakata Station, take the subway (5 min.) to Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station (Tenjin Station). Take the Nishitetsu train (Tabito trains have a wrap design) to Nishitetsu Futsukaichi Station where you transfer to the Dazaifu Line for Dazaifu Station (5 min.) designed like a shrine. Takes about 30 minutes total. The train station has a tourist information office. Short walk to the Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine.

There are also buses from Hakata Bus Center (JR Hakata Station) and Hakata Airport to Dazaifu Station (40 min.). More info here.