Michizane Sugawara's corpse was carried on an ox-pulled cart. Then, a grave was built where the ox crouched, resulting in Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. However, there’s a parallel story told in Kyoto.
"After Michizane's death, catastrophes continue in Kyoto. In addition, the masterminds who had Michizane demoted, such as Tokihira Fujiwara, faced their own demise one after another. The rumor spread, ‘This must be a curse,’ and the emperor finally announced that ‘Michizane is innocent.’ But that didn’t stop the catastrophes. On the contrary, lightning struck the building and caused many deaths. A shrine was built in Kyoto saying, ‘We must somehow calm down the spirit of Michizane.’
It’s said that there are 12,000 shrines in Japan dedicated to Michizane Sugawara, also known as Tenjin. The main shrine is Dazaifu Tenmangu. That is because Dazaifu Tenmangu is a sacred place built on Michizane's grave.
The religion of Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine has no elements of curses or ghosts. Michizane is worshiped as a god of sincerity who does not hate the heavens and does not hurt others. And that personality has fascinated many people for 1100 years. And today, Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine continues to be a place where many people gather.
So what did you think of Dazaifu? We hope the stories will tie back to our original theme, “finding the importance in what cannot be seen.” Let me introduce the background behind the making of this guide.
The Little Prince is a story about "what is important". After he lost "important things," the prince left his hometown in search of importance, only to discover something new while on his journey. "The desert is beautiful because it hides a well somewhere." "The stars are beautiful because invisible flowers are blooming." Even if you can't see it, it's still there and can provide you with some profound thoughts.
We'd be glad if you could take any of these experiences back with you from this trip.
We would like to end this guide by introducing my favorite poem sung at the plum blossom party of Tabito:
"In a thousand years, the plum blossoms will never stop blooming.”
Years come and go, but the plum blossoms will continue to bloom indefinitely.
ON THE TRIP Editorial Staff
Writer: Akihito Shiga
Translator: Sara Scarf, Dale Angles
Photography: Hiroshi Honma
Narration: Kate Beck
Coverage from:
Nobumasa Inoue
Yasunori Ajishu
Hiroko Mori
Photos from:
Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine
Important Cultural Property of Dazaifu City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Gargoyles
City Tower Ruins
Kyushu National Museum
*This guide was created based on documents and interviews and includes some interpretation done by us at ON THE TRIP. Theories differ between experts, so try to find out what really happened on your travels