The is a Japanese term for the regional government in Kyushu from the 8th to the 12th centuries. The name may also refer to the seat of government which grew into the modern city of Dazaifu in

Fukuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the southwest, K ...

."Dazaifu" at Japan-guide.com
retrieved 2013-3-5.

History

The ''Dazaifu'' was established in northwest Kyushu the late 7th century. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)
"Dazaifu"
in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 150. The town of Dazaifu grew up around the civil and military headquarters of the regional government. During the 8th and 9th centuries, records refer to Dazaifu as "the distant capital". In 1268, envoys bearing letters from

Kublai Khan Kublai ; Mongolian script: ; (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder of the Yuan dynasty of China and the fifth khagan-emperor of ...

appeared at the ''Dazaifu'' court. There were a series of envoys which came before the unsuccessful invasion of 1274. In the

Muromachi period The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by ...

the political center of the region was moved to

Hakata is a ward of the city of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Many of Fukuoka Prefecture and Fukuoka City's principal government, commercial, retail and entertainment establishments are located in the district. Hakata-ku is also the location o ...

."Dazifu" at GoJapan.com
; retrieved 2013-3-5. The city of Dazaifu was the center of the

Shōni clan was a family of Japanese nobles descended from the Fujiwara family, many of whom held high government offices in Kyūshū. Prior to the Kamakura period (1185–1333), "Shōni" was originally a title and post within the Kyūshū ( Dazaifu) gover ...

and later the Ōuchi clan. In the Edo period, Dazaifu was a part of

Kuroda domain Kuroda (written: lit. "black ricefield") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese painter * Akinobu Kuroda 黒田明伸, Japanese historian * Chris Kuroda, lighting designer and operator for the band Phish and J ...

until the '' han'' system was abolished in 1873.

Usage

The flexible term refers to the regional government for all of Kyūshū and nearby islands. From the 7th through the 13th century, the governor and vice-governor of Dazaifu had civil and military functions. The titles of the vice governors were ''

Dazai dani was a Japanese author. A number of his most popular works, such as '' The Setting Sun'' (''Shayō'') and ''No Longer Human'' (''Ningen Shikkaku''), are considered modern-day classics. His influences include Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Murasaki Shiki ...

'' and '' Dazai shoni''. Among the ''Dazai shoni'' was

Fujiwara no Hirotsugu Fujiwara (, written: 藤原 lit. "''Wisteria'' field") is a Japanese surname. (In English conversation it is likely to be rendered as .) Notable people with the surname include: ; Families * The Fujiwara clan and its members ** Fujiwara no Kamata ...

in 740 who started a rebellion in the same year. Sometimes there was an official Absentee Governor ('' Dazai-no-sotsu''). This title was only given to Imperial princes. Among those holding this office was Takaharu''-shinnō'' who would later become

Emperor Go-Daigo Emperor Go-Daigo (後醍醐天皇 ''Go-Daigo-tennō'') (26 November 1288 – 19 September 1339) was the 96th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')後醍醐天皇 (96) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional orde ...

City

Dazaifu is the name of the place where regional government was centered in the late

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...

through the

.Turnbull, Stephen R. (2013)
''The Mongol Invasions of Japan 1274 and 1281,'' p. 35
It is the town which grew up around the government center in the 7th through the 12th centuries. It is also the name of the small city which continued to grow even after the regional government center was moved.

Region

''Dazaifu'' refers to the region which includes all the provinces on the island of Kyūshū and other nearby islands. Sansom, George Bailey. (1958)
''A History of Japan to 1334,'' p. 443

Government

The ''Dazaifu'' is the name of the civil government on the island of Kyūshū. As it grew and developed, a large complex of was built for the use of the hierarchy of bureaucrats. The many buildings were arranged along a symmetrical grid, not far from the Buddhist temple complex at .
retrieved 2013-3-5. ''Dazaifu'' is a

metonym Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept. Etymology The words ''metonymy'' and ''metonym'' come from grc, μετωνυμία, 'a change of name' ...

of the official position at the head of the regional government. It is also a metonym for the person who fills this leadership role.

Notes

References

* Adolphson, Mikael S. ''et al.'' (2007). ''Heian Japan, Centers and Peripheries.'' Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press.
OCLC 260109801
* Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959)
''The Imperial House of Japan.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 194887
* Sansom, George Bailey. (1958). ''A History of Japan to 1334.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press
OCLC 256194432
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834)
''Annales des empereurs du Japon''
('' Nihon Odai Ichiran''). Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691

External links

Dazaifu City of Ancient Culture
{{Authority control Government of feudal Japan Special Historic Sites