The Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine is dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, the god in charge of learning and education, and is crowded throughout the year with worshippers praying for success in entrance exams and academic achievement.

Dazaifu

The shrine is also known for the “legend of flying plum blossoms,” and the grounds are decorated with 6,000 plum trees. The plums are known as offering plums and are dedicated to Tenjin-sama from all over Japan.

Weeping plum blossoms in Dazaifu Tenmangu

Umegae mochi, a baked rice cake that is named after the plum blossoms, is a well-known specialty of the shrine, and the approach to the shrine is lined with numerous stores. There are also many souvenirs of good luck, such as “Uso no mochi,” which contains a doll of “Uso,” a bird associated with Tenjin-sama, along with shiso (a type of beef skin), and “Onigawara monaka,” which is made in the shape of “Onigawara” tiles excavated at the Dazaifu Government Office site.

Dazaifu specialty Umegae Mochi
Dazaifu specialty Umegae Mochi

INFORMATION

 

Address
4-7-1 Zaifu, Dazaifu City

Access from Nishitetsu Dazaifu Station
5 minutes walk from Nishitetsu Dazaifu Station.
TEL
092-922-8225 (Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine Office)
More details

Hours of Operation
Opening hours: 6:00 a.m. (from the vernal equinox to the day before the autumnal equinox) / 6:30 a.m. (on other days)
Closing time] 19:00 (April, May, September, October, November) / 19:00 (June, July, August) / 18:30 (December, January, February, March)
Opening hours are extended to 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays from April 28, 2017 (Fri.) in conjunction with the Kyushu National Museum’s “Kyuhaku at Night” event.
Closed
Open all year round *Open all day from 12/31 to 1/3

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