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Image of Fukuoka Castle Ruins(2012)

Fukuoka Castle Ruins(2012)

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Fukuoka City or Hakata City?

In April 1889, the government issued a regulation for municipalization, giving birth to "Fukuoka City." However, the following year a great controversy occurred over whether the area should be called Fukuoka City or Hakata City. Originally, the area was called Hakata; however, in 1600 a Japanese warlord, Nagamasa Kuroda, named the area Fukuoka as a tribute to the land of his ancestors, Bizen Fukuoka (Bizen is now called Okayama). Since then, the area of the city located east of the River Naka, in the Nakasu region, has been known as Hakata, and the area to the west of the river has been known as Fukuoka. But, now the locals had to choose between Fukuoka, a proud samurai town, and Hakata, the port and merchant district, for the name of their city. At a meeting of legislators deciding on the name of the city in 1890, votes were split evenly, with Fukuoka and Hakata receiving 13 votes each. A subsequent revote ended with the same result, and so the name "Fukuoka" was kept. In return, the name Hakata was chosen for the new railway station that had just opened. This is how the confusion began between the names of Fukuoka City and Hakata Station.

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When used, the images must be accompanied by the note, "Photograph(s) provided by Fukuoka City."

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