FUKUOKA HISTORY

Fukuoka history covers from the Mongol invasions, through the formation of the modern city, World War II and recent history.

Fukuoka History - Mongol invasions (1274-1281)

Fukuoka's Hakata bay is Japan's gateway to Korea and China. Gateways, of course, attract interest; after having conquered and terrorised the continent, the great Mongol Kublai Khan of the Mongol Empire turned his attention to Japan starting in 1268, exerting a new external pressure on Japan with which it had no experience. Kublai Khan first sent an envoy to Japan to make the Shogunate acknowledge Khan's suzerainty. The Kamakura Shogunate refused. Mongolia repeatedly sent envoys thereafter, each time urging the Shogunate accept their proposal, but to no avail.

Defensive wall, Fukuoka. This is part of the defensive wall built to resist the Mongolian invasion of Japan. Picture by Fg2

In 1274 Kublai Khan mounted an invasion of the northern part of Kyushu with a fleet of 900 ships 33,000 troops, which included troops from Goryeo (currently the Korean peninsula). This first invasion was compromised by a combination of incompetence and storms.

After the first invasion of 1274, the Japanese samurai built a stone barrier 20 kilometres in length bordering the coast of Hakata Bay in what is now Fukuoka city. The wall, between 2-3 metres in height and having a base width of 3 metres, was constructed between 1276 and 1277 and was excavated again in the 1930s.

Kublai sent another envoy to Japan in 1279. At that time, Hojo Tokimune of the Hojo clan (1251-1284) was the Eighth Regent. Not only did he decline the offer, but he beheaded the five Mongolian emissaries after summoning them to Kamakura. Infuriated, Kublai made another attack on Fukuoka Prefecture in 1281, reinforcing the troops to 140,000 soldiers and 4,000 ships. The Japanese warriors, numbering around 40,000, were no match for Mongolians and the Kublai invasion force made it as far as Dazaifu, 15 kilometres south of the city of Fukuoka. By sheer luck, the Japanese were aided by another typhoon which struck a crushing blow to the Mongolian troops, however, and the invasion was thwarted.

It was this typhoon that was original called the Kamikaze (Divine Wind).

Fukuoka History - Formation of the modern city (1889)

Fukuoka was formerly the residence of the powerful daimyo of Chikuzen, and played a conspicuous part in the medieval history of Japan; the renowned temple of Ieyasu in the district was destroyed by fire during the Boshin war of 1868. (adapted from 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica)

The modern city was formed on April 1, 1889 with the merger of the former cities of Hakata and Fukuoka. Historically, Hakata was the port and merchant district, and as such was more associated with the area's culture: it remains the main commercial area. On the other hand, the Fukuoka area was home to many samurai, and its name has been used since Kuroda Nagamasa, the first daimyo of Chikuzen, named it after his birthplace in Okayama Prefecture. Today, the old Fukuoka is the main shopping area called Tenjin.

When Hakata and Fukuoka decided to merge, a meeting was held to decide the name for the new city. Hakata was initially chosen, but a group of samurai crashed the meeting and forced those present to choose Fukuoka as the name for the merged cities. However, Hakata is still used to refer to the Hakata area of the city, and most famously to refer to the city's train station, Hakata Station, and its dialect, Hakata-ben.

Fukuoka History - Fukuoka in the 20th century

ACROS International Hall, Fukuoka.1903: Fukuoka Medical College, a campus associated with Kyoto Imperial University, is founded. In 1911 the college is renamed to Kyushu Imperial University and established as a separate entity.
1910: Fukuoka streetcar service begins.
1929: Flights commence along the Fukuoka-Osaka-Tokyo route.
1945: Saturation bombing of Japanese cities commences on Honshu with Fukuoka one of the targets. Vivisections of American POWs are performed at Kyushu Imperial University Hospital.
1947: First Fukuoka Marathon.
1951: Fukuoka airport opens.
1953: Fukuoka Zoo opens.
1976: Subway commences service.
1988: Osaka's pro baseball team, the Nankai Hawks, are moved to Fukuoka and renamed the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks.
1995: ACROS (Asian Crossroads Over the Sea), a multipurpose convention and cultural centre, is founded to encourage increased relations with other Asian countries. It is located downtown in Tenjin, and features a large park, terraced gardens, a library and other facilities for encouraging peaceful relations with other Asian cultures.

Article based on Wikipedia article and used under the GNU Free Documentation License)