Travel Guide of Scenic Byway Kyushu

Q-❼Genkai Nada Scenic Coast
Cities of Fukuoka and Itoshima in Fukuoka Pref., and Karatsu City and Genkai
Town in Saga Pref.－Historic Ruins since ancient ages, Gateway

toward Asia, and Scenic Nature facing to Genkai Nada Sea Ancient Japan is called "Wa", and Chinese history books
introduce Japanese customs and geography around the 2nd and3rd centuries. It is estimated that our country consisted of morethan 100 states, but in the location facing the Genkai, there were
three states: Matsuura, Ito and Na. It is written that there wasMatsuura in the place just across the sea from Iki. Also, although
Ito was a small country, it is said that messengers from theDaifang Commandery (an ancient county of the northern Koreanpeninsula) always stopped, and Na was a large country withmore than 20,000 households. Approximately 2000 years havepassed since then, but if you compare them, it is assumed that
"Matsura" is the present Karatsu city, "Ito" is Itoshima city, and"Na" is Minami-ku, Fukuoka city or Kasuga city.
In ancient times, the people from the Korean Peninsula landedin the Higashi-matsuura area via Tsushima and Iki, and various
civilization were transmitted. In addition, Itoshima had many
sea-related archaelogocal sites such as shell mounds and fisheries,(2) Kashii Shrine with a unique Architectural style(1)

View of Shikanoshima Island. (7) Nijino-Matsubara (Pine-forest)(3) Hakozaki Shrine that worships the God of Battle

1(3) The first Zen-Temple in Japan, “Shoufuku-ji”.

(3) The Street at Hakata Station Square in Fukuoka City.
while Fukuoka had a landformwhere the sea entered the inlandside. These are the basic stippling of
the ancient landscapes of the three
regions, all of which are deeply
linked to the Genkai Sea.
(Access). On the Genkai-nada Scenic
Coast,Fukuoka
International
Airport, Hakata Port, and Hakata
Station on the Kyushu Shinkansen
are the main access points, and alsotheimportantpointsoftransportation throughout Kyushu.
(Main Route). The main routes inthis scenic area are given by urban
expressways, national routes 202
and204,andNishi-Kyushu
Expressway, and also some major
prefectural roads as shown in themap.
On the other hand, in addition tothe Kashii Line, Kagoshima Main
Line, and Chikuhi Line of JRKyushu, the Fukuoka Municipal
Subway and Nishitetsu Kaizuka
Line are operating as public
transportation by rail. Therefore, therailway network and bus routes fromthe main stations are also available.
(Scenic Resources). Following arethree key resources for this scenicroute.
a) One is a view of the strong wavesof the Genkai-nada Sea and the sameold geological strata as the continent.
Driving along the beautiful coastline,
you will find many rare rocky
landscapes (see photo (6)).
b) The second is the cultural heritage
accumulated in this region as theentrance to the Asian continent.
According to the time series, someheritages can be arranged as follows.
As shown in the photo (1), a gold
seal given to Na kingdom fromEmperor Kwangmu of Later Han
Dynasty in China was discovered on
the Shikano-shima island, Fukuoka
City. Then, in interchange with the(4) Modern Town in Seaside Momochi District in Fukuoka City(3) Itazuke Ruins in 1 or 2 Century, which is near theFukuoka International Airport.

Ref: Yoshinogari Ruins in 2 or 3 century, which is away 45 kmtoward southwest from Fukuoka International Airport.

.

(1) & (4) Gold Seal granted to Na-kingdom in
57 A.D. from the late Han Dynasty.

(4) Stone Defense Wall against MongolianInvasions (Fukuoka City)

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Tang Dynasty of China, Japanesediplomatic missions brought backoutstanding
civilization
andBuddhism to the region.
In the end of the Middle Ages,
people with the pottery skills moved
from the Korean peninsula to Japan,
and had a major impact on our lives.
The arts, medicine, science, crafts,
food culture, lifestyle, and even thereligions that underpin our spirit
was introduced into our region from
Asian countries and the Korean
Peninsula, or from Europe throughthe Silk Road.
c) Northern Kyushu has not only
good events but also bad events, andits related heritage is the thirdresource.
From the 7th century to the 8thcentury, many defensive soldiers"Sakimori" were dispatched from
East Japan to Kyushu. The oldest
collection of poetry, "Manyoshu,"
contains poems about the harshnatural environment and thefeelings of the nostalgia, and someof them are carved in stonemonuments and erected there.
In addition, in 1274 and 1281,
there were invasions of Mongolia,that many victims were killed. To
prevent this tragedy, earthen walls
and rock walls were installed facing
the Genkai Sea (Photo (4)). The
other is the dispatch troops toKorean from Nagoya Castle during
the Toyotomi period at the end of
the 16th century, and many camps
remain.
From the above, our ancestors
have built great civilization innorthern Kyushu. Throughout on
this scenic road, there are ruins
dating back to the introduction ofrice cultivation. It then evolved intothree Ancient Kingdoms, and thebirth of medieval cities of tradeand commerce. In the Edo period,
there were two castle towns andmany inn towns.
Today, this region has growninto the largest urbanization area
in Kyushu, retaining these
historical heritage (see photos (3),(4), (5), (7), and (8)).
Mainly based on the above
contents, this scenic area isdivided into 3 blocks and 9 zones
and explained as follows (see themap on page 1).

-Fukuoka Area The landscape area of Fukuoka
City can be subdivided into fourzones.

(4) Restored Guest House “Kouro Kan” in 8th.

(3) Kunchi Dance Parade in Hakata Dontaku.
Hikiyama Festival Float and Decorated Yamakasa of
Hakata Yamakasa Gion Festival in Fukuoka City.
(4) Fukuoka Castle for Kuroda Clan.

(1) Shikano-shima Island
The Shikano-shima island on
the outskirts of Fukuoka City is
mysterious, and has a lot of
information on the history ofancient Japan. In other words,
despite being a small island(Tombolo), people have long settled(5) Maebaru inn-town on Karatsu Kaido Road.
(5) Hirabaru Ruins regarded as a Grave of the Queen (National Treasure)since ancient times and have been
involved in the ancient defense
Kushida-jinjya Shrine are related to Hakata Gion Yamakasa
and diplomacy of Japan, as mentioned above. There are also
Festival and are registered as an intangible Cultural Heritage of
scenic natural sceneries of the sea (photo (1)) and the rich
UNESCO. Shofuku-ji Temple (1195) is the first full-fledged Zen
blessings of Hakata Bay and Genkai-nada Sea.
temple in Japan, and the precincts are a national historic site of
the country. If visiting them, you will understand that templesand shrines are deeply rooted in the lives of citizens and theactivities of local communities.

(2) Zone of Kashii-gu Shrine and Hakozaki-gu Shrine.
Famous historical shrines in Fukuoka City are the KashiiGu
Shrine and HakozakiGu Shrine. The former is a rare case wherean ancient mausoleum converted into a shrine during the Heianperiod. The shrine faces a street with large trees. The main hallof shrine has no walls and is called “Kashii-making”.
On the other hand, the HakozakiGu shrine is one of Japan's
three major Hachiman Shrines. Emperor Ojin and Empress
Jingu are enshrined, and Emperor Ojin is known as the god ofwar, Hachiman-Shin. In historical battles, victory was often
prayed at HakozakiGu Shrine. In the present times, Fukuoka's
professional baseball team, Softbank Hawks, is praying forvictory every year. I’m not sure if this is the result, but the teamhas several times been the best winners in Japan.

(4) Fukuoka Castle Town during the Edo Period
The ruins of the ancient official guesthouse "Koro-kan" forforeigners were excavated in the center of this zone. In the sameplace, Fukuoka Castle was built in the early Edo period. Besides,
the area adjacent to the castle is the central business district ofpresent-day Fukuoka City. Therefore, even though Fukuoka
Castle is still in the center of Fukuoka City, it is still the main
scenery of the Genkai Sea. Enjoy the contrast with modern
downtown as you walk through the city, which has a history of
thousands of years.

-Itoshima Area –(3) Hakata Merchant’s Town since the Middle Age.
Hakata Town was a merchant town rebuilt by ToyotomiHideyoshi who unified the country in the 16th century. Theskeleton of the town at that time was divided into east, west,
south, and north with the motif of Buddhist robe (Kesa). Even
now, traces of it remain in the street network of Hakata Ward,and the regional allocation of the Hakata Yamakasa Gion
Festival is also based on this division.
There are many old temples along the Mikasa River at theeastern end of Hakata Ward. Among them, two temples and one
shrine are popular among citizens. Jyoten-ji Temple (1241) and(5) Zone of ancient Ito.
Itoshima Area is the ancient Ito kingdom, which is listed in thehistorical documents of Wei Dynasty of China, and many royal
tombs were excavated. In particular, the rectangular tomb inPhoto (5) is presumed to have something to do with "Himiko
Queen" of Yamatai-koku (kingdom), who ruled “Wa” in the 3rdcentury. The excavated items from the tomb are on display at thenearby Ito Kingdom History Museum. A large copper mirror witha diameter of 46.5 cm and a weight of 8 kg is famous as the largest3mirror in Japan and is designatedas a national treasure.

(6) Coast Zone of Itoshima
Peninsula
On the coast of the Itoshima
Peninsula, as you can see in thephoto, you can enjoy the beautiful
natural scenery of white sandy
beaches, green pine trees, andrough rocks formed by the waves ofGenkai-nada Sea. And while it iscomfortable to drive through manylandscapes, it is advisable to stopat some rocks and Keyano-oto(large rock gate) along the way.
The Itoshima area is a popularplace for Fukuoka citizens to enjoy
recreation and outdoor activities
The fishing village has manyrestaurants and oyster huts thatuse local ingredients, so you canenjoy country foods.

(6) Dazzling Sand beach(7) Karatsu Castle for Fudai Daimyo(6) Couple of Rocks (Futamigaura, Sakurai Shrine)(8) Trace of Nagoya Castle (Karatsu City)-Higashi-Matsuura Area
(7) Urban Zone in Karatsu
CityA million black pine trees wereplanted on the Karatsu coast
during the Edo period, creating agreen pine forest called "Niji-noMatsubara". (Niji means rainbow,and Matsubara, pine forest).
Originally, pine trees were planted(7) Headpiece of Karatsu Kunchi Festival in Karatsu.
(8) Warships of Japan and Korea in 16th
as windbreaks for paddy field
century (Nagoya Castle museum)development. But now it is a
Castle is built so as to project toward Karatsu Bay.
special scenic spot in our country.
A stroll through the urban area will reveal moats and castle
Mt. Kagamiyama (284 m) is a popular spot overlooking the city
town from the Edo period, as well as houses and buildings of theof Karatsu, Niji-no-Matsubara, and the Genkai-nada sea. Photo
Meiji and Taisho eras. The pottery of Karatsu also is famous and(7) on the page 1 shows a panorama of Karatsu City and Karatsu
you can visit the pottery factory.
Bay from the top of the mountain, and you can find that Karatsu(8) Nagoya-Jo Traces in Karatsu City.

After dominating Kyushu at the end of the 16th century,
Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a front-line military base in the Nagoya
district of Karatsu City and dispatched troops to the Korean
Peninsula. The core of the camp is Nagoya Castle, which is now
a special historical landmark of Japan.

(9) Genkai Town of terraced Paddy Fields
The terraced rice fields in this area have evolved toward the sea
in accordance with the topography of Hizen-chō Town in Karatsu
City, and the Genkai Town. Unlike the terraced fields surroundedby mountains, it has a vast open feeling as shown in the photo (9).
Each area of Genkai Route has unique and wonderful festivals.
In particular, Karatsu-Kunchi Festival (7) was registered as aUNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage along with thefestival of Hakatagion Yamakasa (3) in Fukuoka City. “Kunchi”
means an autumn harvest festival. Please check the date andtime of festival, if you want to see it.

(8) Yobuko Ohashi Bridge (Karatsu City).

Publishing and Copy right: Promotion Conference of Kyushu
Scenic Byways ○C(Copyright 2020. All rights reserved)(9) Terraced Rice Field in Oura (Karatsu City)
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