The is a Japanese term for the regional government in Kyushu from the 8th to the 12th centuries.Adolphson, Mikael S. et al. (2007). ; excerpt, "... the Dazaifu -- the governmental headquarters in northern Kyushu -- was a center in its own right ... earned the epithet 'the capital of the western periphery' (saikyoku no daijō)" The name may also refer to the seat of government which grew into the modern city of Dazaifu in Fukuoka Prefecture."Dazaifu" at Japan-guide.com; retrieved 2013-3-5.

History The Dazaifu was established in northwest Kyushu the late 7th century.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Dazaifu" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 150. The town of Dazaifu grew up around the civil and military headquarters of the regional government.

During the 8th and 9th centuries, records refer to Dazaifu as "the distant capital".

In 1268, envoys bearing letters from Kublai Khan appeared at the Dazaifu court. There were a series of envoys which came before the unsuccessful invasion of 1274.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan, p. 92.

In the Muromachi period, the political center of the region was moved to Hakata."Dazifu" at GoJapan.com ; retrieved 2013-3-5.

The city of Dazaifu was the center of the Shōni clan and later the Ōuchi clan. In the Edo period, Dazaifu was a part of Kuroda domain until the han system was abolished in 1873.

Usage The flexible term refers to the regional government for all of Kyūshū and nearby islands.

From the 7th through the 13th century, the governor and vice-governor of Dazaifu had civil and military functions.Conlan, Thomas D. "The Two Paths of Writing and Warring in Medieval Japan," Taiwan Journal of East Asian Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Issue 15), June 2011, pp. 91 (PDF 7 of 43). The titles of the vice governors were Dazai dani and Dazai shoni. Among the Dazai shoni was Fujiwara no Hirotsugu, who started a rebellion in the year 740.Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du Japon, p. 71.

Sometimes there was an official Absentee Governor (Dazai-no-sotsu). This title was given only to Imperial princes. Among those who held this office was Takaharu-shinnō, who later became Emperor Go-Daigo.Ponsonby-Fane, p. 204.

City Dazaifu is the name of the place where the regional government was centered in the late Nara period through the Muromachi period.Turnbull, Stephen R. (2013). The Mongol Invasions of Japan 1274 and 1281, p. 35. It is the town which grew up around the government center in the 7th through the 12th centuries. It is also the name of the small city which continued to grow even after the regional government center was moved.

Region Dazaifu refers to the region which includes all the provinces on the island of Kyūshū and other nearby islands.Sansom, George Bailey. (1958). A History of Japan to 1334, p. 443.

Government The Dazaifu is the name of the former civil government on the island of Kyūshū.Embry, Charles R. (2011). Voegelinian Readings of Modern Literature, p. 71; excerpt, "Dazaifu, a reference to both a city in Kyushu and the ancient headquarters of Kyushu government." As it grew and developed, a large complex of was built for the use of the hierarchy of bureaucrats. The many buildings were arranged along a symmetrical grid, "Government Office Ruins" at Japan-guide.com; retrieved 2013-3-5. not far from the Buddhist temple complex at ."Kanzeonji" at Japan-guide.com; retrieved 2013-3-5.

Dazaifu is a metonym of the official position at the head of the regional government. It is also a metonym for the person who fills this leadership role.

See also Asteroid 19917 Dazaifu named for the Dazaifu government Sugawara no Michizane

Notes

References Adolphson, Mikael S. et al. (2007). Heian Japan, Centers and Peripheries. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press. ; OCLC 260109801 Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). The Imperial House of Japan. Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society. OCLC 194887 Sansom, George Bailey. (1958). A History of Japan to 1334. Stanford: Stanford University Press. OCLC 256194432 Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du Japon (Nihon Odai Ichiran). Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. OCLC 5850691

External links Japan Heritage Dazaifu, The Western Capital of Ancient Japan -Exchange Hub with East Asia- Dazaifu City of Ancient Culture