Dazaifu Tenmangū, Shinto shrine in Dazaifu, Japan
Dazaifu Tenmangū is a Shinto shrine in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, whose main hall is built in the nagare-zukuri style with a cypress-bark roof and a curved gable over the entrance. A large stone torii with two round pillars, a straight tie beam and a slightly curved lintel stands on the approach, and the grounds hold camphor trees designated as natural monuments.
Sugawara no Michizane, exiled to Dazaifu in 901, died there in 903; his mausoleum was built in 905. In 919, by imperial order, Fujiwara no Nakahira completed a shrine over the grave, founding Anrakuji Tenmangū. After the main hall burned in 1578, Kobayakawa Takakage rebuilt it in 1591.
The site is known throughout Japan as a key destination for students who leave wooden prayer tablets asking for help with their exams. The more than six thousand plum trees bloom in February, drawing crowds who celebrate the traditional flower viewing season.
The shrine is thirty minutes by train from Fukuoka city and opens daily without an entrance fee. Visitors who arrive early in the morning find quieter grounds and can view the buildings before larger groups arrive.
A plum tree called Tobi-ume stands to the right of the main hall and is said to have flown from Kyoto to follow Michizane to Dazaifu. Visitors also find a large bronze bull on the grounds that they touch to ask for wisdom and healing.
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