Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine

This shrine is dedicated to the deity of learning, and many Japanese

students visit it to pray for success in their examinations. It was built on

the burial site of Sugawara no Michizane, who is deified as the god of

scholarship. This shrine serves as the headquarter shrine of the 12,000

Tenmangu shrines across Japan.

The prescient contain two ponds, an arched bridge, treasure house, and

the cypress-bark-roof main hall which was constructed in 1591 and

registered as important Cultural Property.

Standing to the right side of main hall in a sacred plum tree known as the

“flying plum” , which has been worshipped as the symbol of the shrine.

Within the Shrine nature precinct are many plum trees, camphor tree, and

irises, which provide nature beauty in every season of year.

Tenmangu’s history is recalled by events such as the New Years Exorcism,

Fire Festival (Oni-sube), Kyokusui-no-en that means Spring Water Poetry Festival, and Jinko-shiki

(Annual God-Procession Festival) which takes place in the Autumn.