Dazaifu Tenmangū Audio Guide

Dazaifu Tenmangū: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Dazaifu Temmangu Shrine

   Welcome to Dazaifu Temmangu Shrine, known in Japanese as 太宰府天満宮. It stands in the city of Dazaifu in Fukuoka Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu, about 15 kilometers southeast of the prefectural capital, Fukuoka. From Fukuoka it takes roughly 30 minutes by train or 40 minutes by bus, and the shrine sits only about 250 meters from Dazaifu Station. This is one of the most important Shinto shrines in Japan, and its roots go back more than 1,100 years. It is built over the grave of Sugawara no Michizane, who lived from 845 to 903. He was a scholar, poet and politician, and he was later deified as Tenjin, the god of learning, culture and the arts. Today this is the head shrine of more than 10,000 shrines across the country dedicated to Tenjin. The main street from the station to the shrine is lined with places for a snack, a coffee or a souvenir, so the walk is part of the experience. Over the next few minutes I will tell you about the man buried here, the old sanctuary and its colorful architecture, and the plum trees that give this place its signature scent and its crest.

2. 02

   Dazaifu Temmangu Shrine: The Exile Who Became a God

   Every shrine has a beginning, and this one begins with a tragedy. Sugawara no Michizane was a brilliant scholar who rose to be Minister of the Right, one of the highest posts at the imperial court. In 901 he was suddenly demoted and sent away to work in Dazaifu. He died here two years later, in 903. Then comes the story of his burial. His retainer, believing a particular moment to be a sign of Michizane's own will, decided to bury him at that very spot. Some years afterward, the emperor ordered shrines built to deify his spirit, and one was erected in 919 at the site of the grave. That is how Dazaifu Temmangu Shrine grew. Two accounts of the very first building survive. One says that in 905 a man named Umasake no Yasuyuki, a disciple, founded the first memorial facility to honor his teacher. The other, as I have just told you, points to the emperor's order and the shrine of 919. Either way, a place of mourning gradually became a place of pilgrimage. Many visitors today are students and their families, coming to pray before important exams.

3. 03

   Dazaifu Temmangu Shrine: Architecture, Treasures and Survival

   Over the centuries, fire, war, natural disasters and large renovations have reshaped this shrine. The oldest surviving sketch of its layout dates from some time after 1498. It lists every facility mentioned in a document from 1294. A later map, made at the end of the seventeenth century and itself a national Important Cultural Property, shows the precincts as they stood then. The main sanctuary you will see was built in 1591. It is a fine example of Azuchi-Momoyama period architecture, which ran from 1568 to 1603. After the somber look of earlier Muromachi-period buildings, it is ornate and colorful, and the guide to the architecture is the red lacquer. Major restoration work on the main hall has been carried out, with a temporary hall set up in the meantime, so the view may differ depending on when you come. Around 1600, after Kuroda Nagamasa became lord of Chikuzen Province, his father Kuroda Josui retired to a thatched hermitage at the shrine. He hosted renga poetry gatherings here and helped revive the shrine, including its gatherings hall, inner gate and corridors. Do stop at the treasure house, which displays ancient swords and historical documents, among them the Kan'en, a tenth-century encyclopedia and a national treasure.

4. 04

   Dazaifu Temmangu Shrine: Plum Trees and Living Ritual

   Now look for the plum trees. The plum was Michizane's favorite tree, and its blossoms were the subject of many of his poems. That is why the shrine's crest is a plum flower. About 6,000 ume trees, belonging to 167 varieties, grow in the grounds, and the blossoms create a picturesque scene from late January to early March. One tree stands directly to the right of the main sanctuary, and it has a famous name: Tobiume, the flying plum. Legend says that when Michizane left Kyoto in exile, he missed the plum in his garden so much that the tree uprooted itself and flew to Dazaifu to join him. It is a legend, of course, but it explains why people look at this tree with such affection. The shrine is alive with ritual too. More than 10 million people visit each year, and over a hundred ceremonies are held annually. The largest is the Shinkō procession, in which the spirit of Tenjin is carried in a portable shrine from the main hall to the site of his former residence, where it spends one night. Participants in these ceremonies wear costumes of the Heian period, and the events emphasize poetry readings, calligraphy exhibitions and prayers for exam success.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   As you wander on, notice how much this one site holds. There is the grave of an exiled scholar, a sanctuary from the late sixteenth century, a treasure house, gardens and, nearby, the large Kyushu National Museum. There is also a small amusement park for children, which is a nice reminder that the shrine is a place for families as well as scholars. Here is a curious detail to carry with you. In 1871 the name was changed to Dazaifu Shrine, because the word miya was by then reserved for shrines honoring imperial family members. The original name was restored in 1947. Together with Kitano Tenmangu and Hofu Tenmangu, this shrine is counted among the three Tenjin shrines, though opinions differ on the third. So as you leave through the street of snack stalls, look back at the plum trees and ask yourself which story of Michizane you find most convincing: the scholar, the poet, or the exile whose favorite tree would not let him go.