Tenmangu shrine is one of the most important shrines in the Tenmangu sect of Shintoism, and is located in the mountain city of Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture. Tenjin is the Shinto god of scholars and was once an actual person called Sugawa no Michizane. Every year hundreds of thousands of Japanese students visit Tenjin shrines around the country to pray for scholarly achievement.
Sugawa was exiled to Dazaifu on trumped up charges after falling out with the then powerful Fujiwara clan. He died at Dazaifu and after a series of accidents occurred in Heiankyo (Kyoto), the Imperial court, thinking that it was the spirit of Sugawa wrecking havoc, deified him as Tenjin to appease his wrath. Since then Tenjin has become very popular. The Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine is built on Sugawa’s grave site, hence it’s important to the Tenjin/tenmangu shrine sect.
The shrine complex at Dazaifu is naturally very large, it covers 12 acres and includes over 150 cherry trees so its something very much worth seeing during the cherry blossom season. To enter the shrine, visitors walk over a bridge which extends over a heart-shaped pond.
The lead up to the shrine from the station is a large shopping street perfect for souvenirs. There is also a regional specialty sold here, hot rice cakes loaded with red bean paste.
Hours and Admission
- Hours: 6:00am - 7:00pm (Seasonal Variation +/- 30 Minutes)
- Free
- Average Time Spent: 30 Minutes
- Official Website
Accessing Dazaifu Tenmangu
The Dazaifu Tenman-gu Shrine is only a short walk away along a shopping street from the Dazaifu Station.
Coming from Hakata Station, it will only take you 45 minutes via train to reach the shrine, but that will involve a couple transfers, so just make sure you know where and when to be for the transfer. The Train journey will cost only 600JPY one way.
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