Nearly at the center of Fukuoka, Akizuki is a valley at the foot of Mt. Kosho about an hour away from Fukuoka City. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, hard to attack and easy to defend, the valley was chosen for Lord Akizuki’s mountain castle. Later in 1623, according to Kuroda Nagamasa’s will, Akizuki Domain was established as a branch of Fukuoka Domain. As the first Lord Kuroda Nagaoki arrived, he improved Akizuki Castle and the subsequent 12 generations ruled the area.
It remained a castle town for a long time. But samurai families lost their positions in the Meiji Period and the distance from main roads delayed the town’s development. As a result, it keeps the castle-town look to this day.
There are 126 national Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Historic Buildings. four of them are castle towns. The whole town of Akizuki is designated as a preservation area and the elegant castle town is called “Chikuzen’s Little Kyoto.” The castle ruins are designated as a historic site and the main gate (Kuromon) and the Nagaya-mon gate is the prefecture’s tangible cultural property.
There are many spots to visit such as Megane Bridge built more than 200 years ago, Samurai residences, Hirokyu Kuzu Honpo, and a Japanese Kudzu sweets maker with more than 200 years of tradition. The spring cherry blossoms and fall foliage are especially impressive and many visit here.
Highlights
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The tranquil mountain village dotted with historical sites.
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One hour of meandering will cover the area.
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Spring cherry blossoms and fall foliage are especially pretty.
