Dazaifu, Day 22 - History lessons

Principal Yagi had asked earlier during my stay if there was some time available for me to explore the history of Dazaifu with him and his wife, so we agreed on Saturday as a good day. It's raining, but that doesn't stop us from visiting several sites of interest.

Dazaifu may look like a smaller town today, but during the Nara period (and to a lesser extent, the beginning of the Edo period), it served as the western capitol of Japan, with Nara serving the eastern part of the country. It's strategic location in the northern portion of Kyushu made it easily accessible to those wishing to enter Korea and China; it also took the brunt of many attacks by Korean invaders, and some of the ruins reflect this.

Our first stop is close to Gakugyoin JHS, at a small musuem adjacent to the ruins of the ancient city government offices. This building actually houses a small portion of the excavation that helped to define the size and scope of these ruins, and has several displays of artifacts found during those excavations, as well as a series of models showing the layout and building designs at the governement office site and some other ruins of importance to the area.

As we leave the building, we take a short walk to the government office ruins, and I notice that the clouds are moving down the mountains behind the site. Even though it's raining, I stop to take a picture.

Our next stop is just down the road, at the Kanzeonji shrine, which I visited early last week. This shrine is one of the oldest in Japan; while it is still maintained as a place of worship (a priest says daily prayers in a worship area in the main building each day), most of the building is no longer accessible to the general public because of preservation concerns. The original temple grounds were much larger, but many of the outlying buildings and the wall were lost to invaders or the deprivations of time; every effort is being made to maintain what is still standing.

Our stop today will take us to the "Treasure House" in a side building. To help with that preservation and facilitate public display, the Buddhas and other statures have been relocated from the inner part of the temple to this newer, climate-controlled environment, where they can be more easily protected. Worshippers still come; there are offering boxes at each location, just as there would be in the temple proper, and the largest of them have blessing charms available as well.

Next, we visit a much more modern building, the Kyushu History Museum. This building houses a great number of artifacts from many of the ruins in the area, as well as a large topographical map showing how Dazaifu's location made it both a logical commerce center as well as a focal point for invasion. Most of Kyushu is covered with mountains (extinct or dormant volcanoes and upthrusts from earthquake activity), and the cities and towns developed in the valleys formed by rivers flowing from the mountain peaks to the sea. Dazaifu, in particular resides in a wide valley where several smaller streams join to form a larger river that flows north and (eventually) into the Sea of Japan at Fukuoka/Hakata.

As you move north, the valley narrows; long ago, this bottleneck point was turned into a strategic defensive point with the construction of a huge earthen wall and moat (about one mile long) known as a mizuki, or "Water Fortress". This wall and its gate withstood invaders from Korea and mainland China for many years; a large portion of the mizuki is still standing (although the gate and some smaller sections succumbed to invading forces long ago).

Excavations of the exposed parts of the mizuki offer a detailed look at the construction techniques used, including the fact that Japanese cedars played an important part in providing a solid base for the building of this wall. The museum offers both photos of the excavations and recovered artifacts.

Now it's lunch time; Principal Yagi and his wife have made reservations at a very traditional Japanese restaurant close to Dazaifu Tenmangu, the primary temple in the region, so we head for that location. This restaurant has individual dining rooms, accessed through sliding doors that are short enough one must get on one's knees to enter. Each room has a table, window (which overlooks the gardens surrounding the facility, and a display alcove, similar to those found in tea rooms.

This restaurant specializes in formal Japanese dining, with various traditional dishes, many of which I have not seen before. As we enter and are seated, our server reaches under the edge of the table and activates a switch; the center of the table has a large ceramic bowl with what looks like milk sitting on a metal plate, which turns out to be a hot plate. Soon the 'milk' is bubbling gently, and our server brings a tray with a selection of fresh vegetables. Mrs. Yagi explains that this is a traditional first course for many formal meals; the liquid is soybean milk (the same stuff used to make tofu), and we are to place vegetables into the hot liquid to cook for a very short time, and then eat them with a little soy sauce. It's a nice change from the idea of salad.

Other dishes follow in succession - each is served by itself, with ample time given to enjoy the flavours and textures. Several dishes use tofu as a main ingredient; while this restaurant is not strictly a vegetarian one, their food specialties reflect an interest in serving food that are very healthy and encourage a healthy appetite.

At one point, sashimi is served; it tastes quite a bit like tuna, but with a milder flavour. Principal Yagi tells me that it is bonita, a close relative of the tuna family. It's delicious.

We finish with dessert, and I am asked my choice of several items. Tofu ice cream sounds interesting, and I order that; while it has a texture slightly different from traditional dairy-based ice cream, its flavour is light and delicate.

We leave the restaurant and go to the shrine, crossing the bridge over the small lake that is home to koi, turtles and at least one crane. Today, with the rain, the only creatures in sight are the turtles. The bridge construction is special; it has two arches, one at each end, and a large flat area in the middle. I am told that it represents life - one's past (an arch to climb and not to spend too much time looking back), present (a large flat area where what is now can be seen), and future (an arch yet to climb, not yet available to see).

Japan embraces two primary religions - Buddhism, brought over from China and Korea, and Shintoism, which is rooted in ancient Japanese history and legend associated with the emperor. Shrines for both will often be found on the same temple grounds. As we enter the main area, Principal Yagi explains that most public worship is done at the Buddhist shrines, where specific forms and rituals are most frequently used (including the cleansing of one's hands and a pattern of claps before a prayer). Shinto shrines are used for more private worship, and also for certain public blessings, especially weddings.

As we walk through the grounds, I notice that there are many booths set up today; this must be the flea market mentioned by Rebecca-ALT. This is a public fair, with locals offering many different things for sale - a lot of Japanese items, such as kimonos and pottery, but also things that would likely be found in an American-style open-air market, such as collectibles and old tools. I look through a few of the booths along with Mrs. Yagi; when her husband wonders about it, I tell him that we are girls alike in a love for shopping. He smiles.

Our day of sightseeing is finished; it has been a great way to learn more about the history of this area, and I thank Principal Yagi and his wife for a wonderful day.

Then it's back home to work on sorting things - I will be leaving here next weekend, and I have to decide what will fit in a suitcase and what must be shipped directly home. Later in the evening, I hear from Ishii-san; he tells me that while the weather is still very 'iffy', our trip to Mt. Aso is on for Sunday. I promise to be ready at 9:00 AM.