Fukuoka Castle Audio Guide

Fukuoka Castle: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Fukuoka Castle

   Welcome to Fukuoka Castle, a place where a feudal lord's stronghold has become one of the city's great open spaces. Its local name is 舞鶴公園, Maizuru Park, and the park is centered on the old main enclosure of the castle, the honmaru. You are in Chuo Ward, in the heart of Fukuoka, about one and a half kilometers west of Tenjin. Walk west from Tenjin Station for around 20 minutes and the sounds of the city start to fade. The park sits just east of Ohori Park, and the two together form a green belt through the middle of the city. The district called Jonai, which is mostly this park, covers about 49.73 hectares, and 39.3 hectares of that is parkland. That is a remarkable amount of open ground this close to downtown. Over the next few stops, we will look at why this spot was chosen for a castle, what remains of the fortress today, the older story hiding beneath it, and how the seasons bring crowds back to its stone walls. First, settle into the idea that you are standing on what was once the command center of a domain.

2. 02

   Why Fukuoka Castle Was Built Here

   The story starts with a reward. After the Battle of Sekigahara, Kuroda Nagamasa was made lord of Chikuzen Province, with a domain valued at 520,000 koku. A koku was a measure of rice, and it was the way lords counted their wealth and standing. In the year 1600, Nagamasa entered the province at Najima Castle. Najima Castle turned out to be a poor fit for a ruler of such a large domain. It was surrounded by sea on three sides and had very little land behind it. For a lord who wanted to run a major domain, that was cramped. So a new site was chosen for a new castle and a new castle town, on a spot called Fukusaki, just west of Hakata. In those days it belonged to Kego Village in Naka District. Construction began in 1601 and took seven years. The new castle was built on a low hill rather than on a flat plain, and the type is called a hirayama castle. When you climb through the park and feel the ground rise toward the main enclosure, you are tracing the same landscape that Nagamasa's planners picked more than four centuries ago.

3. 03

   What Remains of Fukuoka Castle

   Fukuoka Castle: The city's master plan describes this area as a precious open space close to downtown, where greenery, history and culture come together.

   In its prime, Fukuoka Castle was enormous. It had large, medium and small foundations for keeps, and 47 turrets, called yagura, set along its defenses. That is a very long list of towers for a single castle. Most of that skyline is gone, but some pieces are still standing. The Tamon Yagura, a long turret, is an Important Cultural Property. The Otemon gate and the Shiomi Yagura also survive and hint at what the castle once looked like. The walls are another highlight. They are immense, and several of them lie concentrically within one another, so that as you walk, one line of stone leads into the next. Look for the observation deck on the high ground, too. From up there the view reaches Fukuoka Tower and the PayPay Dome, a neat reminder of how the old castle ground now overlooks a modern city. The old stone walls, the moat and the skyline together make the point of coming here.

4. 04

   Older Layers Beneath Fukuoka Castle

   Fukuoka Castle: In mid-February, the plum garden takes its turn, with white, pink and red blossoms and a faint fragrance drifting across it.

   Fukuoka Castle sits on layers of history older than itself. The place Nagamasa chose was near the site of the Korokan, the guesthouse that served the ancient government headquarters at Dazaifu. The Korokan ruins were discovered at and around the Heiwadai baseball stadium, which is part of this park. That discovery changed how the area is planned. A long-term vision for the castle grounds calls for developing the surroundings as a historical park, a plan sometimes called the Central Park concept. The city's master plan describes this area as a precious open space close to downtown, where greenery, history and culture come together. It also stresses using the castle and Korokan ruins, and strengthening the pedestrian network between this park and Ohori Park. There is one more curious detail. Between this park and Ohori Park, inside the old castle grounds, there are private homes known as the Jonai residences. Under the current plan, those homes are being relocated so that the land can become park, although agreeing on moves has taken time. It is a living example of a castle site still being reshaped today.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Fukuoka Castle changes with the seasons, so it is worth thinking about when you might return. The park is planted with many cherry trees, mostly Somei Yoshino, along with weeping cherries and double-flowered village cherries. The blossoms against the moat and the stone walls are a view you can find only here. During full bloom, the Fukuoka Castle Cherry Blossom Festival is held, and the trees are lit up in the evening for that period only. In mid-February, the plum garden takes its turn, with white, pink and red blossoms and a faint fragrance drifting across it. Climb up to the old main enclosure and you can look down over the whole garden from above. As you wander, keep an eye out for the athletics stadium and ball fields tucked into the grounds, and for Fukuoka City Art Museum next door. Ask yourself which part of the castle you would most like to picture as it was in Nagamasa's day, and let the walls tell you more as you walk on.