Pre-Tokugawa period Exchanges from the continent and the Northern Kyushu area date as far back as
Old Stone Age. It has been thought that waves of immigrants arrived in Northern Kyushu from mainland Asia. Among
Jomon period sites, early Jomon pit dwellings have been found in the eastern
Itoshima Peninsula, while early to late Jomon pottery and stone-collecting hearths have been found at Kashiwara Site (South Ward). Among middle Jomon period sites, clusters of pits for storing yew and other acorns have been found at Nodame Newatari Site (South Ward) and Arita Site (Sawara Ward). Archeological research revealed that the Fukuoka Plain was underwater during the Jomon period, and like the Paleolithic period, only the aforementioned sites at the edge of Hizen Island remain. During the
Yayoi period, the rise of early rice cultivation led to the development of large, moated villages like the
Itazuke Site, and the region served as a hub of activity marked by the introduction of technologies like bronze and copper tools. Fukuoka's location near the
Sea of Japan made it an early natural point of entry for trading and cultural influences from countries on the mainland such as
Korea and
China.
Contact with China Interaction between the region and the
Han dynasty of China was recorded as early as 57 A.D. According to the
Book of the Later Han, an envoy visited the imperial court during the reign of
Emperor Guangwu, and in recognition of this diplomatic mission, the ruler received a gold seal, discovered later in the 17th century. By the end of the Asuka Period, Fukuoka, sometimes called the Port of , had grown from a small town into a critical administrative center, serving as the regional government headquarters for Kyushu and as a trade centre between Japan and
Tang China. Ancient texts, such as the
Kojiki, Kanyen, and archaeology confirm this was a critical place in the founding of Japan. Some scholars claim that it was the first place outsiders and the Imperial Family set foot, but like many early Japan origin theories, it remains contested. The
Book of Song recorded that King Bu, thought to be the
Emperor Yūryaku, sent a letter in 478 A.D. seeking the Chinese emperor's approval for the establishment of three ministries for administration of the kingdom similar to
those in use in China; the remains of a ward office and temple in , south from Dazaifu, may be one of these ministries. In addition, remains of the
Kōrokan (, Government Guest House) were found in Fukuoka underneath a part of the ruins of
Fukuoka Castle.
Heian & Kamakura Periods Following the collapse of the
Tang dynasty, relations with China declined, and Japan went into a period of isolationism. While the existing
Kōrokan declined by the end of the
Heian Period in the 12th century, the city's importance as a trading hub continued to grow, evidenced by the discovery of a late Heian period stone revetment from the port in modern times. As a result of the introduction of
Buddhism to Japan, several historically important Buddhist temples in Fukuoka were constructed by monks after their studies. Monk
Eisai founded
Shōfuku-ji which is known today as the oldest zen temple in Japan. Eisai is also known for establishing a new sect of Zen Buddhism (
Rinzai) and for bringing tea and tea culture to Japan. Monk
Kukai established
Tocho-ji, and
Joten-ji was built by
Enni who is also known for bringing Udon noodles first from China to Japan. Hakata Gion Yamakasa is the most famous festival in Fukuoka and the origin of it is believed to date back to 1241, when
Enni, the founder of Jotenji temple, had people carry him around the town on a platform while praying against the plague and eventually eliminated it.
Mongol invasions (1274–1281) Kublai Khan of the
Mongol Empire turned his attention towards Japan starting in 1268, exerting a new external pressure on Japan which it had no experience of dealing with. Kublai Khan first sent an envoy to Japan to make the Shogunate acknowledge Khan's
suzerainty. After the refusal of the
Kamakura shogunate to recognize the Khan, the Mongols repeatedly sent envoys thereafter, each time urging the Shogunate to accept their proposal, but to no avail. In 1274, Kublai Khan mounted an invasion of the northern part of Kyushu with a fleet of 900 ships and 33,000 troops, including troops from
Goryeo on the
Korean Peninsula. This initial invasion was compromised by a combination of incompetence and severe storms. After the invasion attempt of 1274, Japanese
samurai built a stone barrier in length bordering the coast of
Hakata Bay in what is now the city of Fukuoka. The wall, in height and having a base width of , was constructed between 1276 and 1277, and was excavated in the 1930s. Kublai sent another envoy to Japan in 1279. At that time,
Hōjō Tokimune of the
Hōjō clan (1251–1284) was the Eighth Regent. Not only did he decline the offer, but he beheaded the five Mongolian emissaries after summoning them to
Kamakura. Infuriated, Kublai organized another attack on Fukuoka Prefecture in 1281, mobilizing 140,000 soldiers and 4,000 ships. The Japanese defenders, numbering around 40,000, were no match for the Mongols and the invasion force made it as far as
Dazaifu, south of the city of Fukuoka. However, the Japanese were again aided by severe weather, this time by a typhoon that weakened the Mongolian troops, thwarting the invasion. It was this typhoon that came to be called the
Kamikaze (
Divine Wind), and was the origin of the term
Kamikaze used to indicate
suicide attacks by military aviators of the
Empire of Japan against
Allied naval vessels during World War II. File:Samurai Takezaki Suenaga detail Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba.jpg|
Takezaki Suenaga File:元寇防塁 (Genkou bourui) - panoramio.jpg|
Genkō Bōrui Formation of the modern city (1300–1889) By the end of the 1300s, the threat of Mongol invasions declined, and Fukuoka began to flourish. The 1300s also marked the fall of the
Kamakura shogunate and the rise of the
Muromachi shogunate. Kyushu, including Fukuoka, was a contested region during this transition. Throughout the
Muromachi period, Hakata was the first free city in Japanese history, with its government run by a council of 12 wealthy merchants called Tongyoji. It prospered as a trading city alongside Sakai City, whose government was run by a council of 36 members. The region continued to experience growth, and Hakata continued to serve as Japan's primary port for trade with mainland Asia, particularly with the
Song and
Yuan dynasties of China and with Korea. By the 1500s, the control shifts from various clans, and ultimately the fall to
Toyotomi Hideyoshi's forces, marked a period of conflict for the region. The
Battle of Sekigahara eventually led to
Kuroda Nagamasa being granted the region and beginning the construction of
Fukuoka Castle in the early 1600s. Fukuoka was formerly the residence of the powerful
daimyō of
Chikuzen Province, and played an important part in the medieval history of Japan. The renowned temple of
Tokugawa Ieyasu in the district was destroyed by fire during the
Boshin War of 1868. The modern city was formed on April 1, 1889, with the merger of the former cities of
Hakata and Fukuoka. Historically, Hakata was the port and merchant district, and was more associated with the area's culture and remains the main commercial area today. On the other hand, the Fukuoka area was home to many samurai, and its name has been used since
Kuroda Nagamasa, the first
daimyō of Chikuzen Province, named it after his birthplace in
Okayama Prefecture and the "old Fukuoka" is the main shopping district, now called Tenjin. When Hakata and Fukuoka decided to merge, a meeting was held to decide the name for the new city, and after multiple ties, Fukuoka ultimately was chosen. However, Hakata is still used to refer to the Hakata area of the city and, most famously, to refer to the city's train station,
Hakata Station, and
dialect,
Hakata-ben.
20th century Fukuoka continued to grow during the early 20th century following the
Meiji Restoration and industrialization of Japan. The city saw exponential growth with the introduction of new colleges and universities such as the Fukuoka Medical College in 1903 and the introduction of citywide public transit such as the Fukuoka Streetcar Service in 1910. During
World War II, Fukuoka played a significant role as a regional military center and base for the
Imperial Japanese Military due to its geographic position near the Korean Peninsula and China. The region also housed the largest
POW base in Japan,
Fukuoka 17 which operated from 1943 to 1945. In 1945, Fukuoka was
firebombed on June 19, with the attack destroying 21.5 percent of the city's urban area. The postwar era also saw the establishment of key institutions and events in the city such as the
Fukuoka Marathon in 1947, and the founding of the
Fukuoka Zoo in 1953. Fukuoka benefited greatly from the
Japanese economic miracle, and in 1975, absorbed the town of
Sawara. 1975,
Sanyō Shinkansen high-speed railway was extended to
Hakata station, providing more efficient high-speed connection to
Tokyo and the rest of the country. In 1981, the
Fukuoka City Subway began operations with the opening of its initial segment between Muromi and Tenjin, marking a turning point in Fukuoka’s urban transit infrastructure and signifying a transition from the existing older street-level tram and bus systems toward a high-capacity, grade-separated urban rail network. In doing so, the establishment of the subway system also helped reduce surface traffic congestion in the city core and provided a more reliable and faster mode of transit. Towards the end of the 1980s, the city held two important expositions, including the 1989 Asian-Pacific Exposition, and the 30th annual meeting of the
Asian Development Bank.
Partnership with Atlanta, Georgia, United States Fukuoka established a partnership with
Atlanta, Georgia after a visit by former Japan Prime Minister
Toshiki Kaifu in 1994. The sister city partnership was formalized in February 2005 by Former Atlanta mayor
Shirley Franklin and former Fukuoka mayor Hirotaro Yamasaki. For 20 years the program has been supporting yearly student exchanges, economic forums and cultural performances. At the yearly cultural celebration “JapanFest” in Atlanta, Fukuoka performers showcase traditional music and dance.
21st century In February 2005, the
Nanakuma Line started operations, serving as the fourth linear motor subway line to be built in Japan. The Nanakuma Line was originally conceived in the 1960s to provide access to Nakamura Gakuen University and
Fukuoka University, but the plan was subsequently amended for the line to end at
Hashimoto Station. The line also linked the Central business district and the southwestern part of the city which previously unserved by rail. In 2014, the city was selected as the National Strategic Zone for "global startups & job creation" by
Japanese government, following an increase in economic activity in the region stemming from
Abenomics. ==Geography==