TheDazaifu (大宰府 or 太宰府) is a Japanese term for the regional government inKyushu from the 8th to the 12th centuries.[1] The name may also refer to the seat of government which grew into the modern city ofDazaifu inFukuoka Prefecture.[2]
TheDazaifu was established in northwest Kyushu the late 7th century.[3] The town of Dazaifu grew up around the civil and military headquarters of the regional government.[4]
During the 8th and 9th centuries, records refer to Dazaifu as "the distant capital".[3]
In 1268, envoys bearing letters fromKublai Khan appeared at theDazaifu court. There were a series of envoys which came before the unsuccessful invasion of 1274.[5]
In theMuromachi period the political center of the region was moved toHakata.[4]
The city of Dazaifu was the center of theShōni clan and later theŌuchi clan. In the Edo period, Dazaifu was a part ofKuroda domain until thehan system was abolished in 1873.[4]
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.[6] The titles of the vice governors wereDazai dani andDazai shoni. Among theDazai shoni wasFujiwara no Hirotsugu, who started arebellion in the year 740.[7]
Sometimes there was an official Absentee Governor (Dazai-no-sotsu). This title was given only to imperial princes. Among those who held this office was Takaharu-shinnō, who later becameEmperor Go-Daigo.[8]
Dazaifu is the name of the place where the regional government was centered in the lateNara period through theMuromachi period.[9] 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.
Dazaifu refers to the region which includes all the provinces on the island of Kyūshū and other nearby islands.[10]
TheDazaifu is the name of the former civil government on the island of Kyūshū.[11] As it grew and developed, a large complex of government offices (都府楼跡,Tofuro-ato) was built for the use of the hierarchy of bureaucrats. The many buildings were arranged along a symmetrical grid,[12] not far from the Buddhist temple complex atKanzeon-ji (観世音寺).[13]
Dazaifu is ametonym of the official position at the head of the regional government. It is also a metonym for the person who fills this leadership role.
33°30′52.35″N130°30′54.52″E / 33.5145417°N 130.5151444°E /33.5145417; 130.5151444
