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Image of Fukuoka Castle Ruins(2009)

Fukuoka Castle Ruins(2009)

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Fukuoka originated from Okayama Prefecture!?

There are two names for Fukuoka City, Fukuoka and Hakata, and the Hakata name is better known among those outside of Kyushu. The Fukuoka name was first used during the Edo period (1603-1868), and Fukuoka City became the official name during the Meiji period (1868-1912) that followed. However, the Hakata name has been used for a considerably longer period of time. When the feudal lord, Nagamasa Kuroda and his son, Josui, were given the Chikuzen fief that yielded 523,000 koku of rice (or more than one million U.S. bushels) by Ieyasu Tokugawa, they called their new home Fukuoka Castle. This is because the original residence of the Kuroda feudal lords was Fukuoka in Bizen, now Okayama prefecture. That’s how the region around the castle came to be known as Fukuoka. When viewed from Hakata Bay, the castle seemed to soar like a bird in the sky, hence the name Maizuru Castle, or The Dancing Crane. In those days the castle was a magnificent structure—there were moats extending inland from the sea, and it had more than 10 gates and 47 turrets. The Minamimaru-tamon Turret and the stone walls, which survive to this day, are a reminder of the castle’s former glory.

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Precautions on Usage

When used, the images must be accompanied by the note, "Photograph(s) provided by Fukuoka City." and"photo:Fumio Hashimoto"

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