Shrine · Dazaifu · Fukuoka Prefecture
Dazaifu Tenmangu
太宰府天満宮だざいふてんまんぐうDazaifu TenmangūThe grave shrine of Tenjin, god of scholarship
Dazaifu Tenmangū in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, is built over the grave of Sugawara no Michizane, the Heian-period scholar and statesman who died in exile here in 903 and was deified as Tenjin, god of learning. With Kitano Tenman-gū in Kyoto it is the foremost of Japan's Tenjin shrines.
Overview
Dazaifu Tenmangū stands in the town of Dazaifu, about 15 km south-east of central Fukuoka, which in ancient times was the seat of the Dazaifu, the government headquarters for Kyushu and for diplomacy with the continent. The shrine is dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane (845–903), a brilliant scholar, poet and minister who was falsely accused at court and banished to Dazaifu, where he died two years later.
According to tradition, the ox carrying Michizane's body stopped at this spot and refused to go further, and he was buried here. A series of disasters in the capital after his death was attributed to his angry spirit, and he was posthumously rehabilitated and worshipped as Tenjin, a deity of scholarship, calligraphy and poetry. Today students from all over Japan pray here for success in entrance examinations.
The approach from Dazaifu Station passes through a street of shops selling umegae-mochi, grilled rice cakes filled with red bean paste, then crosses the Shinji-ike pond on three vermilion bridges representing past, present and future. The main sanctuary, rebuilt in 1591 by Kobayakawa Takakage in the lavish Momoyama style, stands behind a two-storey gate.
Highlights
Main sanctuary
御本殿GohondenMomoyama-period hall of 1591 with gilded and lacquered details, built over Michizane's grave; an Important Cultural Property.
Tobiume
飛梅TobiumeThe "flying plum" to the right of the sanctuary, said to have flown from Kyoto overnight to follow Michizane into exile.
Shinji-ike pond and bridges
心字池Shinji-ikePond shaped like the character for heart, crossed by three bridges symbolising past, present and future.
Rōmon gate
楼門RōmonTwo-storey gate in front of the sanctuary, with a different roof style on each side.
Ox statues
御神牛GoshingyūBronze and stone oxes, the messengers of Tenjin; touching their heads is said to bring wisdom.
Kanko Historical Museum
菅公歴史館Kankō RekishikanSmall museum illustrating Michizane's life with dioramas.
History
Michizane was exiled to Dazaifu in 901 and died there in 903. In 905 his disciple Umasake no Yasuyuki built a mausoleum over his grave, and in 919 the court ordered the construction of shrine buildings. The shrine and its Buddhist temple Anraku-ji formed a single institution until 1868. The main sanctuary burned in the wars of the 16th century and was rebuilt in 1591. A major restoration of the main sanctuary, the first on this scale in about 124 years, began in 2023.
901
Sugawara no Michizane is exiled from Kyoto to Dazaifu.
903
Michizane dies in Dazaifu.
905
A mausoleum is built over his grave.
919
Shrine buildings are erected by order of the court.
1591
Kobayakawa Takakage rebuilds the main sanctuary.
1868
Separation of Shinto and Buddhism dissolves the link with Anraku-ji.
2005
The Kyushu National Museum opens next to the shrine.
2023
A major restoration of the main sanctuary begins.
Culture
As the burial place of Tenjin, Dazaifu Tenmangū is the spiritual centre for the roughly 12,000 Tenjin shrines across Japan. Its ema votive plaques, covered with the wishes of students before the entrance examinations, are one of the most characteristic sights of Japanese school life. The shrine's plum blossoms, which Michizane loved and wrote poems about, open from late January to early March.
Annual rites include the Usokae on 7 January, when bullfinch figures are exchanged to turn misfortune into luck, the Kyokusui no En poetry banquet in early March, re-creating a Heian court pastime by a winding stream, and the autumn Jinkōshiki procession.
Visiting
- Dazaifu is reached from Fukuoka (Nishitetsu Fukuoka-Tenjin Station) by Nishitetsu train in about 30 minutes, changing at Futsukaichi; the shrine is five minutes' walk from Dazaifu Station.
- The plum season from February and the weeks before university entrance exams are the busiest times.
- An escalator and tunnel connect the shrine grounds with the Kyushu National Museum on the hill behind.
Nearby
Kyushu National Museum
九州国立博物館Kyūshū Kokuritsu HakubutsukanMuseum of Japan's cultural exchange with Asia, in a striking modern building behind the shrine.
Dazaifu government office ruins
大宰府政庁跡Dazaifu Seichō AtoFoundation stones of the ancient administrative centre of Kyushu, a short bus ride west.
Kōmyōzen-ji
光明禅寺Kōmyōzen-jiSmall Zen temple near the shrine with a moss and gravel garden famous for autumn colours.
Kyushu's largest city, 30 minutes away by train.
Frequently asked questions
Who is enshrined at Dazaifu Tenmangu?
Sugawara no Michizane, a 9th-century scholar and minister who died in exile at Dazaifu and was later deified as Tenjin, god of learning.
Why do students visit Dazaifu Tenmangu?
Tenjin is the patron of scholarship, so students pray here and write wishes on ema plaques before school and university entrance examinations.
What is umegae-mochi?
A grilled rice cake filled with sweet red bean paste, the local speciality sold along the approach to the shrine.
When do the plum trees bloom at Dazaifu?
From about late January to early March, with the peak usually in February.
Related
Sources
- 1.太宰府天満宮 (opens in a new tab) — 太宰府天満宮
- 2.文化遺産オンライン (opens in a new tab) — 文化庁