Fukuoka Castle

Fukuoka Castle, located in today’s Chūō Ward of Fukuoka City, was a castle built in the early Edo period by Kuroda Nagamasa. After distinguishing himself at the Battle of Sekigahara, Nagamasa was awarded Chikuzen Province, where he constructed the castle on the hills of Fukuzaki in Kego Village. He named it “Fukuoka” after his ancestral land in Osafune Town, Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture. From then on, “Fukuoka” became the castle’s name and later gave rise to the modern names of Fukuoka City and Fukuoka Prefecture.

Fukuoka Castle was a hirayama-style castle with a terraced layout, and from its completion in the 1600s until the Meiji era, it served as the residence of the Kuroda clan, lords of the Fukuoka Domain. Due to its vast scale and surrounding stone walls, it was also nicknamed “Maizuru Castle” (Dancing Crane Castle) or “Stone Castle.” Today, much of the castle ruins are designated a National Historic Site and have been developed into Maizuru Park and Ōhori Park, serving as both historical landmarks and major recreational spaces in Fukuoka City.

Within the castle grounds, numerous yagura (turrets) and gates once stood, some of which remain or have been relocated, while others have been reconstructed. The Tamon-yagura and Minami-sumi-yagura in the southern ninomaru are designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The Shiomi-yagura, Ōtemon gate, Kinen-yagura, and the Nagaya-mon of Mori Tahei’s residence are designated cultural properties of Fukuoka Prefecture, while the Najima-mon is a cultural property of Fukuoka City. Some sections, such as the sannomaru, overlap with the ruins of Kōrokan, a Heian-period diplomatic facility, and thus hold dual historic designations. The City of Fukuoka has also formulated the “Fukuoka Castle Ruins Master Plan,” with significant funds allocated for long-term preservation and restoration work.

The existence of a tenshu (main keep) has long been debated. The base of the tenshu-dai (main keep foundation) remains intact, but some argue that Nagamasa refrained from building a keep out of deference to the Tokugawa shogunate’s suspicions, while others believe that a keep was constructed but dismantled shortly afterward. In recent years, Fukuoka City has presented a nighttime light installation called the “Illusory Tenshu,” which recreates the possible appearance of the keep and allows visitors to experience the vision of what might have been.

Today, the ruins of Fukuoka Castle serve not only as a leisure space for citizens but also as the venue for major seasonal events. Every spring, the Fukuoka Castle Cherry Blossom Festival and the Ōhori Festival are held, featuring parades of historical figures such as Kuroda Kanbei, Kuroda Nagamasa, and the “Twenty-Four Heroes of the Kuroda Clan,” along with martial arts demonstrations at the Kōrokan Plaza. These festivals have become important cultural and tourism highlights of Fukuoka.