Fukuoka

History

Mongolian invasions (1274-1281)

The Bay of Hakata with Kukuoka is an open door towards the Korea and the China. However these openings, of course, call covetousnesses; thus, after having conquered and terrorized the continent, the Large Mongol Kublai Khan was attracted by Japan, exerting as from 1268 on the country a new pressure of which it did not have experience. Kublai Khan dispatched initially an envoy in order to sign a treaty of suzerainté with the shogun. The shogun of Kamakura refused. Mongolia continued to dispatch envoys, pressing each time the shogun to accept its proposal, but in vain.

In 1274 Kublai Khan assembled an invasion of the northern area of Kyūshū with a fleet of 900 vessels and 33.000 troops, which included those of Goryeo (more usually the Korean peninsula). This first invasion was compromised at the same time by incompetences and storms.

After this first invasion of 1274, Japanese Samuraï built a stone barrier of 20 kilometers along the coast of Bay of Hakata, where the town of Fukuoka is today. This wall, from approximately 2-3 meters in height with a 3 meters broad base was built between 1276 and 1277 and was unearthed again in the Thirties.

Kublai dispatched a new envoy in Japan in 1279. At this time, Hojo Tokimune of the Clan Hojo (1251-1284) was the 8th Regent. Not only he refused which was quoted to him, but he decapitated the 5 Mongolian emissary after having made them come in Kamakura. Made furious, Kublai launched a new attack against the prefecture of Fukuoka in 1281, not without to have reinforced its troops of 140.000 soldiers and 4.000 vessels. The Japanese combatants, 40.000, were not size vis-a-vis the Mongols and the forces of Kublai penetrated until Dazaifu, with 15 kilometers in the south of Fukuoka. By a fortunate coincidence, the Japanese were helped by another typhoon which struck the Mongolian troops with a destroying force, and the invasion was stopped.

It is this typhoon which will be called Kamikaze (divine wind).

Formation of the modern city (1889)

Fukuoka was in the beginning the residence of powerful the Daimyo of Chikuzen, which played a remarkable part in the medieval history of Japan; the famous temple of Ieyasu, in the district, was destroyed by fire during the Guerre of Boshin of 1868. (adapted 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica)

The modern city was founded on April 1st 1889 with the fusion of the old cities Hakata and Fukuoka. Historically, there was on a side, Hakata which was the port and the commercial town, and thus was rather associated with a cultural zone: although that either remains a zone of commercial exchanges. Other side, the zone of Fukuoka was the residence many Samurai, and its name was used until Kuroda Nagamasa, re-elected the first daimyo of Chikuzen, it according to its birthplace in the prefecture of Okayama. Today, the Fukuoka old man became the principal retail park called Tenjin.

When Hakata and Fukuoka decided to amalgamate, one held a meeting in order to decide which would be the name of the new city. Hakata was initially retained, but a group of samurai broke the meeting and obliged the people present to choose Fukuoka for new name of the city amalgamated. However, the name of Hakata is still used to refer to the zone of hakata in the city, and especially for its very famous railway station, Hakata Station, and its Dialecte the Hakata-Ben.

Fukuoka at the XXe century

1903 : foundation of the Medical Fukuoka College , a campus associated with the imperial University with Kyōto. In 1911 the establishment is famous imperial Université of Kyūshū and constitutes an independent entity.
1910 : beginning of the service of Tram S of Fukuoka
1929: first flights between Fukuoka- Ōsaka - Tōkyō
1945: the intensive bombardments of the Japanese cities start on Honshū, Fukuoka being one of the targets. Medical experiments practiced on American prisoners of war take place at the Hospital of the imperial University of Kyūshū.
1947 : first marathon of Fukuoka
1951: inauguration of the airport of Fukuoka
1953: inauguration of the zoo of Fukuoka
1981: beginning of the subway
1988: the team profession of baseball of Osaka, the Nankai Hawks , is moved in Fukuoka and are renamed the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
1995: ACROS (asian crossroads over the sea), a convention with multiple goal and an arts center is founded, to encourage the improvement of the relations with the other countries of Asia. It is located at Tenjin and is composed of a large park, gardens in terrace, of a library and autrs services intended to encourage the relations between peace and the other Asian cultures

Geography

Fukuoka is framed on three sides by mountains and is opened, in north by the sea of Genkai. Most of the east city from now on built on grounds gained on the sea with a development with Highasi-ku built on artificial islands.

Located at 1.100 km of Tōkyō, 540 km of Seoul and 870 km of Shanghai, the proximity of Fukuoka of with the China and the Korea led it to weave bonds tightened with these countries, while acting like an Asian node of exchanges cultural and economic.

Climate

As in the remainder of the prefecture, the town of Fukuoka enjoys a climate moderated with an annual average temperature of 16,3 °C, 70%,1 811 hours an average moisture of sunning per annum and 205 cm of precipitation. Approximately 40% of the year time are cloudy.

The winter temperatures seldom go down in lower part from 0°C and the weather is generally rainy with occasionally of short snowfalls. Spring hot and is shone upon more, with the appearance of the flowers of Cerisier S at the end of March at the beginning of April. The rain season (tsuyu) lasts approximately six weeks between June and July, during which moisture is very high and the temperatures oscillate between 25°C and 30°C. The summers are wet and hot with temperatures being able to reach 37°C. With the autumn, often considered as the best season with Fukuoka, is fresh and dry, while the season of the typhoons proceeds between August and September.

Earthquakes

Fukuoka is not as prone to the seismic activity as much of other places of Japan, but undergoes earthquakes periodically. The the most powerful earthquake, recently was recorded to 6 on a Japanese scale of 7, and struck with 10:53 (local time) the March 20th 2005 (Easter Sunday in 2005), killing a person and while wounding more than 400. The epicentre of the earthquake was in the sea of Genkai, along a not yet indexed extension of the fault of Kego which runs through the center of Fukuoka. Genkai-jima (the island of Genkai), part of Nishi-ku, was touched by the earthquake and almost all the inhabitants of the island were obliged to evacuate. The seismic counterparts continued in an intermittent way during the following weeks whereas the teams of construction worked to rebuild the buildings damaged through the city. The Japanese traditional houses, especially in the districts of Daimyo and Imaizumi were most seriously touched and number of them were condemned to the demolition, like several residential buildings. The amount regulated by the insurances for the damage is estimated at approximately 15,8 milliars yen.

The major fault most known of Fukuoka, the fault of Kego, is positioned the North-West towards south-east, roughly parallel with the railway line of Nishitetsu' S Omuta, and was supposed to be 22 km long. One approximately once estimated that it could produce earthquakes of a Magnitude of 7 in its center, every 15.000 years. If its hearth were located at a 10 km depth, that would result in an earthquake a magnitude lower than 6 (like that of March 20th, 2005) in the center of Fukuoka, if the epicentre were there. The probability of an earthquake along the known part of the fault of Kego for the 30 years to come had been estimated at 0,4% before the earthquake of March 20th, 2005, but this estimate had to be re-examined with the rise since then. By including the new extension being in the sea of Genkai, one estimates from now on that the fault of Kego is 40 km long.

If one follows the bulletins which the city prepared only for earthquakes a magnitude higher than 6,5, the multiple counterparts can make fear that the tremors could cause the fracture of the fault line of Kego which is right under the city and which could become active again, being likely to produce a as strong tremor or even more extremely as that of March 20th.

Administrative cantons

Fukuoka is divided into 7 cantons (ku):

Demography

In the month of March 2005, the city had a Population of 1.391.146 inhabitants and a Densité of 4 084,40 habitants/km ². The Surface of the east city of 340,60 km ². The elderly population on average 38,6 years, makes of Fukuoka the second youngest big city; with a growth rate of 4,4% it is also the second city of Japan in term speed of population growth (Figures drawn from the census of 2000).

Popular attractions

The Sky dream of Fukuoka, located in the western district of the east city one of the largest wheel of the world with a 120 meters height (about 400 feet). The Castle of Fukuoka located along Ohori Koen (park) is characterized by vestiges of stone walls and ramparts which remained in spite of the destruction by fire having taken place at the time of the disorders of the Restauration Meiji. It from now on is classified with concrete turns precasted rebuilt during the Fifties and Sixties, when appeared the fashion through Japan to rebuild the castles damaged in order to make tourist attractions of them.

The marine park of Uminonakamichi is located on a narrow peninsula in the northern part of the Baie of Hakata. It includes/understands an amusement park, a zoo, gardens, beaches, a hotel and a large marine aquarium.

Festivals

Fukuoka is the seat many festivals which are held throughout the year. Among them, most known are Hakata Dontaku and Hakata Gion Yamagasa.

Yamakasa

The festival of Yamakasa (山笠) which takes place each year in July during two weeks, is the oldest festival of Fukuoka, since there has existed for more than 700 years. Teams of men (the women allowed, are not excluded the little girls) representing several districts of the city, make a race against the clock on a ring of race, bearing on their shoulders of the tanks weighing several thousands of books. The participants all are covered of the Shimekomi (called Fundoshi in the remainder of the country), which east is the loincloth worn by the fighters Sumo. During the two weeks that the festival lasts, each day is marked by a particular event and races of drive, but the culminating point is the official race which is held the last morning before the paddle. Tens of thousands of the people wait in the streets to encourage the teams. For the period of the festival, one can thus see men through all the vêtus city of the long jacket Happi decorated distinctive signs of their team, also carrying the sandals Geta . This clothing is worn proudly and do not seem being moved even for formal occasions, such as weddings, cocktails, taking place during the festival.

Festivals of Kyūshū:

Hakata Dontaku

Hakata Dontaku (博多どんたく) is held in Fukuoka May 3rd and 4th. Enorgueillissant itself of more than 800 years of history, Dontaku is followed by more than 2 million Japanese, making of this most popular festival during the holidays of the golden delicious week . During the festival, scenes are set up a little everywhere in the center to accommodate the traditional performances and a parade of tanks. Its true name is Hakata Dontaku Minato Matsuri.

The festival was stopped during seven years during the Meiji era, and since it took again at the time of the 12th year of this era it is known like the Hataka Dontaku.

Universities

University of Kyūshū
Institute of design of Kyūshū
University of Fukuoka
University of Seinan Gakuin
University of Towa
University of Sangyo Kyūshū

Olympic sport and ambitions

Fukuoka is the seat of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, one of best the professional teams of baseball. Threatened of bankruptcy and forced to restructure itself by his creditors in 1984, the former Daiei owner sold the Hawks in Masayoshi Its of Softbank Capital. The team changed her name into Fukuoka Softbank Hawks as from the season 2005.

Fukuoka is also the seat of a football team professional, Avispa Fukuoka, which is often classified in the seond-third of the Japanese League J2.

The mayor of Fukuoka, Hirotaro Yamasaki, with the ambition to accommodate the Olympic Games with Fukuoka and Kyūshū in 2016 or 2020, it named them the Games Olympic of Fukuoka-Kyūshū.

There would be a competition with Tōkyō for 2016, whose mayor discussed Shintaro Ishihara would have made désobligeantes remarks on the candidature of Fukuoka which would be of small scales. (It is also said that Yamakasi would have presented this candidature in order to be certain to make approve the construction of a new airport).

Some annual sports events:

international Championship of female judo of Fukuoka
international Championship of marathon
Kyūshū basho (one of the six annual tournaments of sumo professional, in November)

Sports equipment

the Dome of Fukuoka
the Stage Hakata No mori

Education

The town of Fukuoka coordinates all the elementary schools and colleges, while the Prefecture is in charge of higher education.

One of the schools, Hakata Seisho High School, does not require the port of the uniform, which is very rare in the secondary schools of Japan.

Twinning

The town of Fukuoka is twinned with

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External bonds

Fukuoka city one line
Of the photographs of Fukuoka

Simple: Fukuoka

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