Travel Guide of Scenic Byways in Kyushu.

Q-❺ Munakata Historic Byways
Munakata region (Munakata City and Fukutsu City) in Fukuoka Pref. ―History road of Karatsu

kaido, Town of white wall, and Munakata Taisha Shrine (World culture Heritage) --Between the two major cities of Kitakyushu and Fukuoka in thenorthern part of Kyushu, there are several small and medium-sized
cities along the coast of the Genkai-nada sea. Among them, there
are two cities, Munakata and Fukutsu, which are collectively
referred to the Munakata area.
The bird's eye view of Munakata area is a beautiful view of arcshaped sand beaches tied in a chain. Behind the sandy beach are
hills and small mountains, with small and medium-sized rivers
flowing towards the sea, forming a small plain. Despite the suburbsof two big cities, there are still some peaceful rural towns and fishingvillages.
By the way, we can point out two perspectives that characterize
the Munakata region. One of them is the history and heritage ofmarine people of the Munakata region since ancient times.
In other words, ethnic groups of the sea settled in the Munakata
area, and Munakata clan appeared in the 4th century and played arole in trade with the continent. At the same time, by connecting
the islands of Genkai-nada Sea, they became to pray for thesafety of the voyage, which is the origin of Shinto in Japan.
Since then, it has been handed down from(3)generation to generation, and in 2017, related

Munakata Area

Q-❺ Munakata Historic Byway

sites in Okino-shima island and Munakata
area were registered as World CulturalHeritage.
The current situation is as shown in themap above. Looking at Tsuyazaki District on
the north side of Fukutsu City, which is in
adjacent to Munakata City, the fishing port isconnected to a small inland sea, and several
groups of ancient mounted tombs are dottedon inland hills. In addition, Munakata Taisha(Shrine) in Munakata City is nearby.
The second is Karatsu Kaido Road, whichruns through the Munakata area. Karatsu
Kaido has two routes from the Kokura areain Kitakyushu to Koyanase and Wakamatsu.
They joined together in the Akama area ofMunakata City. And it reached Karatsu(Saga Prefecture) via Hakata (Fukuoka City).
Therefore, the Munakata area is an
important part of Karatsu Kaido, and from
the Middle Ages to the present, we have seen and listened to various
events that have shaken the country. This includes Toyotomi
Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea, the Meiji Restoration at the end of
the Edo period, and the modernization of industry during the Meiji
period.
Of course, the biggest concern of visitors to this area is
Munakata Taisha Shrine, a World Cultural Heritage Site. However,a tourism organization for that purpose was established byMunakata Taisha, local goverments and tourism associations, andvarious activities are being carried out. Leaflets, guidebooks andCity
Munakata
Interntional access traffic to Munakata City
Airport Fukuoka
from Tokyo, Narita, Cyubu,Kansai, Naha
21 cities of foreign countories
Kitakyushu from Tokyo
Railway High-speed Kokura st. Hakata st.
Conventional Akama st. (Togo St.)
Kyouikudaimae st.
(Kagoshima Main Line)
Length of main route
about 5km
Further information
Munakata Toulist Association
Tel +81-940-62-3811 FAX +81-940-62-3821

related maps are already available. (hppt://www.okinoshimaheritage.jp).
Meanwhile, people in the Munakata area, including residents
along Karatsu Kaido, have long supported and maintained the faith1

of Munakata Taisha. For this reason, the content introduced here ismainly about walking around the area along Karatsu Kaido.
In other words, the purpose of this landscape road is to visit
Munakata Taisha Shrine and go around the old streets (Akamajuku town and Harumachi district) where the people of theMunakata area who supported it live.
(Area and main route.). From the Edo period to the Meiji period,Karatsu-Kaido Road was the main transport route in theMunakata area. However, in 1890, Akama Station on the JR
Kagoshima Main Line was built, and major local goverment
facilities were relocated there. As a result, commercial functions
along Karatsu-Kaido Road declined, and development stagnated.
The Akama inn-post town in the scenic area has turned into a
residential area, and the adjacent Haru-machi Town has returned
to its former quiet village.
Therefore, along the Karatsu-Kaido, an old streets with whitewalls and lattice windows is preserved or reproduced. You can also
explore the historic streets of the Munakata district and enjoy theatmosphere of the old town and village.
The main route of Munakata Scenic spots is a section along
Prefectural Road 75 from the slightly southwest intersection of theEducational University Front Station on the Kagoshima Main Line,and includes a part of the prefectural road No.503. Even if aconnecting section is added on the way, the total length is only 5 km,
which is the shortest of 15 scenic routes in Kyushu.
Karatsu-Kaido Road was an important historical road whereToyotomi Hideyoshi, who ruled the country at the end of the 16thcentury, walked towards Nagoya Castle in Karatsu City anddispatched troops to the Korean Peninsula. In the attendancesystemof the Daimyo (Sankin-kotai), which was forced to live in
Edo (current Tokyo), the lords of Fukuoka and Karatsu and theirservants marched this section every year.
Furthermore, many revolutionaries and activists went back andforth between Haru-machi and Akama-Juku towns due to theoverthrow of the shogunate in the late Edo period and politicalactivies in the early Meiji era.
In short, this scenic Munakata area is not just a visit to theMunakata Shrine. By adding a tour of the important Munakata
landscape area of Karatsu Kaido that connects various areas innorthern Kyushu, you can know important historical events fromancient times to the present, while supporting the shirine.
(Access) . By combining railways and roads, access to the Munakata
area from the airports in Fukuoka and Kitakyushu is as follows:
From Fukuoka Airport, it takes 5 minutes to Hakata Station bysubway, and about 30 minutes to Akama Station by limited expresstrain. On the other hand, it is 35 minutes by airport bus fromKitakyushu Airport to Kokura Station, and 40 minutes by thelimited express train from Kokura Station to Akama Station.
Except for limited express trains, only local trains stop at Kyouiku
University Front Station. Therefore, if there is no convenientconnection, the bus or taxi from Akama Station is convenient for thefinal access to the scenic spots. (See the map).
When using the expressway from Fukuoka Airport, you canarrive at Wakamiya IC on Kyushu Expressway via the Fukuoka IC.
If using Kitakyushu Airport, you must proceed to Kanda IC, anddrive about 1.5 hours west on East Kyushu and Kyushu
Expressways to Wakamiya IC. In either case, if you go about 8 km
northweat from Wakamiya IC on the Kyushu Expressway, you canreach Akama Town by passing through Prefecture Road 75.

(1)

Susa Shrine in the Akamajuku inn-town(1)

Akamajuku Town Festival(1) Old Store House (1893) (Home of Idemitsu Sazou).
(Tangible Cultural Property of Country)(1) District of Akama-juku machi(1)

2

Town Walking Map of the Akamajuku Town

Akama-juku (now Akama’s town) in Munakata City is an oldpost-inn town along Karatsu-Kaido Road. If going a little southwest
on the road of the front station of the Educational University on JR
Kagoshima Main Line, you will reach a T-shaped intersection andthe main gate of Suga Shrine will on the left. From that intersection,
Akama-juku is the street town of about 600m along Prefecture Road75.
In the middle of the street, you can find old style houses andhistorical monuments. The house of Mr. Sazo Idemitsu, who are thefounder of Idemitsu Kosan's petroleum company, is registered as anational tangible cultural property, and was a typical store housemaking in the Meiji era. Also, Mr. Sazo Idemitsu is known for his
great contribution to the reconstruction of the ruined Munakata
Taisha and the investigation of the world heritage site.
You can also see the town-station called "Akamakan", and thefactory of Katsuma Sake Brewery. The end in the old town is theintersection called as Kamae-guchi (entrance of post-inn town).
As mentioned above, from the Edo period and to the Meiji period,
Akama’s town flourished as a base in the Munakata region.
Daimyo’s accommodation (Honjin), spare accommodation (WakiHonjin), bulletin board (Toiyaba), county office (Gun-ya), etc. werebuilt. Even in the Meiji era, the neighbouring area was very activein the coal mine, and many shoppers gathered extensively here. It
was said that you coud get everything when going to Akama’s town.
In 1890, however, Akama Station on the JR Kagoshima MainLine was newly constructed in its curent location a little away fromthe old town. In addition, after World War II, a bypass adjacent toNational Route 3 was built, and a large residential complex wasconstructed. As a result, the old town was left behind indevelopment, and its function as a town declined.
Fortunately, in the latter half of the 20th century, a university
moved from Fukuoka City to Akama Town. This means that thefunction of student town has been added to the old town and thefunction of town has been restored. As seen in the photo (1), theAkama Festival (costumes parade) in February is held to coincidewith the opening ceremony of "Sake" brewery in the New Year, andis crowded with many students.

(2) Signboard for Guide at the Entrance of Harumachi Town

(2) Remolded Town in Haru-machi
When advancing 3.5km from Akama-juku on Prefecture Road
503, the Haru-machi (town) of about 350m is located along the old
the Karatsu-kaido road, as you can see in photos. The commercial
facilities in this town also moved to the area of the national road
bypass as the motorization progressed. So, an important issue forthe town was to revitalize the old streets and promote the activities.
The community organization was established to promote thereconstruction of the town. Shops such as Konjac, butcher, soba
noodle and antique store have been re-opened by the use of oldhouses. There is also an art museum with renovated barn.
In other words, you can enjoy the atmosphere of a town from 100
to 150 years ago in a group of facilities that have remodeled an oldvillage in Kyushu.
(3) Okinoshima Island and associated sites in the Munakata area
(World Cultural Heritage)
Apart from the details, this is a brief introduction to World
Heritage, Munakata Taisha & Okinoshma Island. The ancient
Munakata clan ruled the Munakata area and had excellent
navigation skills. In addition, ancient rituals were held in andaround Munakata Shrine and prayed for a safe voyage between
Japan and the Asian continent. Originally, this ritual took place ona larg rock, but there were various change in the way.

(2) The remodeled Street in Nostalgic Harumachi Town3(3) Okitsu-Miya (Shrine)(3) The Place to worship the Okitsu-Miya in Oshima Island(3) Nakatsu-Miya and Hetsu-Miya in Munakata Taisha (Shrine) in Munakata CityOsh(3) Shinbaru-Nuyama Mounted Tomb Group, Fukutsu City
The current shrine system consist of Okitsu Shrine on
Okinoshima Island, Nakatsu Shrine on Oshima Island, and Hetsu
Shrine on Kyushu main Island. (See the map and Photo (3)). In
particular, the farthest Okitsu shrine is an isolated island where noone lives, people's landing is severely restricted, and it is impossible
for women to land on the island as a custom. In addition, it isforbidden to take out even one tree, one grass and one stone.
As a result, many of the ancient artifacts dedicated to God ofOkinoshima are left intact, and many of them are important
treasures of the country. Citizens cannot land directly at Okitsu
Shrine, but worship place is set up in the Oshima island instead.
At the Hetsu Shrine, the main building and the hall for worshipwere rebuilt in the 16th century, and are now designated asnational important culture properties. In other words, there is noother shrine mechanism to pray across the sea.
There are tombs in Shinbaru and Nuyama near the coast ofFukutsu City. These are the tombs of the ancient Munakata clan, amarine tribe responsible for rituals at shrines such as Okinoshima.
There are five keyhole-shaped tombs, 35 circular tombs, and one
rectangular tombs.

An important event of these shrines is the autumn festival. The
festival is known for its maritime parade with hundreds of fishingboats and amazing marine events, as shown in photo (3). As a result,the gods of the three shrines gather and pray at the outdoor rituals
ground near Hetsu Shrine.

(3) Marine Parade in the Autumn Festival of Munakata Shrine
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Promotion Conference of Kyushu Scenic Byways(Copyright 2019. All Rights Reserved)

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