Kurume History Walks
ChikugoKokufu

AtoNo.18 Remains of Chikugo Kokufu 筑後国府跡
AboutIn the late 7th century, the Chikugo provincial capital (Chikugo Kokufu 筑後国府) was established inKurume. Until that time, Chikugo and Chikuzen Province were governed as a single province called Chikushi,
which is the western area of the present-day Fukuoka Prefecture. The Chikugo Kokufu seems to have existed
for about five centuries, changing places three times.
A provincial capital had specific facilities such as central building (kokucho 国庁) in which the provincialgovernor conducted the political affairs and the ceremonies, government offices (soji 曹司), residences for theofficials, and artisan's workshops.
In the Nara period (710-794), Japan of that time was divided into 66 provinces, which were classified into
four classes by its scale: large (大), high (上), middle (中), and low (下). Chikugo Province, which had 10districts, used to be high-classified. The law prescribed the number of officials and the workers. The highclassified province had to have 437 people of senior officials, who were dispatched from the national capital,junior officials, and other laborers.

Chikugo River

Kora River

The ancient provincial capital had expanded in the above area.

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Kurume History Walks / No.18 Remains of Chikugo KokufuExcavation

In the early 19th century, Yano Kazusada, afeudal retainer of Kurume Domain, and ahistorical researcher estimated that the Chikugo
Kokufu had been around the area of Edamitsu,
Aikawamachi, according to the place-name andthe scattered old roof tiles.
In 1961, the University of Kyushu
undertook a full-scale excavation and researchat Amida, Aikawamachi. In just one week, they
achieved significant results by finding manyroof tiles, the remains of the roofed mud wall,and the traces of fire. As a result, it proved thatKokucho, the central facility of the provincial Remains of a large building
capital, had existed around there and that the estimation of Kazusada was accurate.
In 1972, the City of Kurume took over the excavation. Since then, we have continued the research. It cameto light that the Chikugo Kokufu changed the place with the time.

Relocation

 Predecessor of Chikugo Kokucho (at Tashiro, Aikawamachi); the late 7th century
In the middle of the 7th century, the conflict among the kingdoms on the Korean peninsula influenced
the politics also of China and Japan. Then, the military base was installed in Kurume to protect an Imperial
Palace and Dazaifu (the regional government for all of Kyushu and nearby islands) on the Chikugo plain.

Common Era
8cJapanese Era

Asuka

Nara

9c

10c

11c
Heian

12c
Kamakura

Predecessor

Predecessor of Chikugo Kokucho

Period I
Period II
Period III

Period II

Period IV

Area of the DesignatedNational Historic Site
Period I

Period III

Governor’sresidence

Period IV2
Kurume History Walks / No.18 Remains of Chikugo Kokufu

The land was surrounded by the rivers (north and west side), large moat (east side) and fortified by mudwalls. As a result of the excavation, we discovered the remains, including a large, probably central, building,which seemed to have been constructed based on some layout planning.
Chikugo Kokucho Period I (at Furugo, Aikawamachi); the late 7th - the middle 8th century
The provincial first capital was constructed on an elevated ground facing the Kora River at the end ofthe 7th century. It measures 180 meters by 80 meters, surrounded by the mud wall of 4-6 meters thick. Assame as the predecessor, the buildings should have been disposed on some layout plan.

Mud wall

During the excavation

Chikugo Kokucho Period II (at Amida, Aikawamachi); the middle 8th - the middle 10th century
It was constructed about 200 meters east from the first site. The ground was surrounded by the mudwall, over 75 meters by 67.5 meters. Buildings with tiled roof and stone foundation clustered within thewall. The disposition of the buildings was a copy of the Dazaifu Government which presided over theKyushu. The lined-up buildings with the tiled roof should have displayed the authority because they had
been very rare. However, these buildings seemed to be burned down due to a revolt led by a warrior in 941.

Traces of the pillars

Excavated incense burner from the governor’s residence

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Kurume History Walks / No.18 Remains of Chikugo Kokufu

Chikugo Kokucho Period III (at Asazumamachi); the middle 10th - the late 11th century
The third was built
about 600 meters east fromthe second site. It wassurrounded by a wide moat
about 140 meters long on
Kora-taisha
each side. We excavated theShrine
remains of a building which
Period IV
was the largest scale amongothers. We conclude that it
Governor’s
Period III
was the central building (国residence
庁 ) of the capital. In thePeriod II
middle 10th century, thelegal system was collapsing
Predecessor
and the provincial capitals
Period I
were decaying. We are notsure why such a large
building was built in
Chikugo Province.
And we determined thatits abolition period was inthe late 11th century by the result of the excavation and an ancient documents of the Kora-taisha Shrine.

Chikugo Kokucho Period IV (at Yokomichi, Miimachi); 11th - the late 12th century
The above document described that in 1073 the capital moved to Imanofu, of which the place-namemeans present government office, from Furufu or Kofu, of which the name means old government office.
We presume that “Imanofu” was at the schoolyard of today’s city high school, because the remains ofbuildings were discovered. That declined in the late twelfth century.
The figure below depicts the Chikugo Kokufu, drawn by Mitani Yushin based on the estimation in ahistory book of Yano Kazusada. In the center, it shows “Mikurazono 御藏園”. It remains as the area namearound the Aikawa elementary school.

Cultural Properties Protection Department of Kurume
Address: 15-3 Jonan Kurume Fukuoka Japan 830-8520 / Tel: 0942-30-9225
Date of revision: March 31st, 2014 / Translated in July 2020
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