FUKUOKA, JAPAN: Dazaifu’s Tower of the City (Tofuro)

GATEWAY TO JAPAN:

• Located in Dazaifu, 500 m from Kanzeon-ji
• Hours:  9:00 – 16:30; closed M, mid-Aug, NY

Like Taga-ju near Sendai in Tohoku, this was an outpost of the Yamato government against independent and rebellious tribes, such as the Kumaso in south Kyushu.  Dazaifu was also used as a staging areas for military adventures in Korea.  When Japan’s ally Paekche capitulated to Silla and Tang China, the Japanese, fearing invasion, fortified the area even more strongly.  As the government headquarters of Kyushu, Dazaifu was built on a rectilinear plan, similar to Nara, but at about half the scale.  The foundation stones of the Tofuro, which was the heart of Dazaifu, show the outlines of several buildings arranged axially within a surrounding wall.  A small museum occupies the southeast corner of the site.