Fukuoka Castle Ruins

Fukuoka Castle was built in the early 17th century by Nagamasa Kuroda and his father, Josui Kuroda, the chief strategist for the famous samurai, Hideyoshi Toyotomi.

Josui was born in Harima, located in the present Kobe Prefecture.
After being rewarded for his deeds in the Kyushu Conquest, he moved to Buzen, which is now in Oita Prefecture.
His son, Nagamasa, achieved great military exploits in the Battle of Sekigahara so the Shogun founder, Ieyasu Tokugawa, rewarded him the land of Chikuzen Province so that he and his father could live in the same area.

The name Fukuoka was taken from a name connected to the Kuroda famiy in the Okayama Prefecture, 'Bizen No Kuni Okugun Fukuoka' .
Nagamasa used this to name the castle, Fukuoka Castle.
Even though Hakata had flourished on its own as a merchant city for a long time, Fukuoka and its surrounding castle town were born at the same time.
As the two cities were born at the same time, they are now characterized as twin cities.
Fukuoka Castle was demolished by the Ordinance abolishing castles in the early Meiji period, and only stone walls remain.
However, you still can see a model of the original castle inside this site.