What is the Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate?
The Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate (筥崎宮楼門, Hakozaki-gū Rōmon) in Hakozaki 1-chome, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, is a two-storey gate of the Momoyama period, said to have been built in 1594, and was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan on April 17, 1902.
It is a three-bay gate with a single central passage, the type described in Japanese as sangen ikko, under a hip-and-gable roof (Irimoya-zukuri) of cypress bark (Hiwadabuki). A rōmon is a two-storey gate whose lower level has no roof of its own; instead a balcony runs around the upper floor.
It was built by Kobayakawa Takakage, who ruled Chikuzen Province after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's conquest of Kyushu. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database records only a range for the date, the Momoyama period of 1573 to 1614; the year 1594 comes from the shrine. Because it carries the plaque reading "Tekikoku Kōfuku," the Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate is also known as Fukuteki-mon, the Gate of Enemy Submission.
Why the Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate is an Important Cultural Property
The Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate was the first of the four structures here to be designated, on April 17, 1902, as designation number 00219. That was 5 years before the Main Hall and Worship Hall, and more than half a century before the torii.
What makes the gate remarkable is a huge roof on a small footprint. According to the shrine, the building covers only 12 tsubo, yet its roof spreads over more than 83 tsubo. Holding it up are bracket sets (Kumimono) of the three-step type (Mitesaki), in which blocks and arms project forward in three stages from the top of each pillar to carry the eaves far out.
The doors carry carvings of the paulownia crest associated with Hideyoshi. The shrine attributes them to Hidari Jingorō, the legendary Edo-period carver; this is a tradition, and no published record confirms it.
What to look for at the Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate
Start with the plaque. According to the shrine, after the shrine burned in the Mongol invasion of 1274, the retired Emperor Kameyama dedicated a calligraphy of "Tekikoku Kōfuku" for its rebuilding. When Kobayakawa Takakage built the gate in the Bunroku era, the characters were copied, enlarged and hung here. Four characters sum up a shrine whose history is bound to the defense of Hakata Bay.
Then follow the bracket sets from below. Stacked three steps out from each pillar, they push the eaves well beyond the walls. Compare the spacing of the pillars with the spread of the roof above, and the gap between 12 and 83 tsubo becomes easy to believe.
Beside the Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate grows the sacred Hakomatsu pine inside a red fence, planted, it is said, to mark the box holding Emperor Ōjin's afterbirth and the origin of the name Hakozaki. Take in the gate and the pine together.
How to see the Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate
The Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate can be seen from the grounds whenever the shrine is open, and everyday worship takes place in front of it. The shrine says you can walk through the gate and pray inside only during the New Year period and the Hōjōya festival from September 12 to 18. Those are the days to see the carved doors up close.
On January 3, at the Tamatori-sai (Tamaseseri), the wooden ball that men have fought over all the way from the outer shrine is finally handed to a priest waiting at the Tower Gate, which makes the gate the finish line of the festival. For a quiet look at the brackets and the plaque, choose another day.
The upper storey is not open. Personal photographs are fine, but the shrine does not allow drones. Directions and opening hours are on the Hakozakigu Shrine page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukuoka
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate
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Q&A
- When was the Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate built, and by whom?
- According to the shrine, Kobayakawa Takakage, lord of Chikuzen, built it in 1594. The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the Momoyama period, 1573 to 1614.
- When did the Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate become an Important Cultural Property?
- On April 17, 1902, earlier than any of the other three Important Cultural Properties at the shrine.
- What is the "Tekikoku Kofuku" plaque on the Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate?
- It is an enlarged copy of the calligraphy dedicated by the retired Emperor Kameyama after the Mongol invasion, made when the gate was built. Because of it the gate is also called Fukuteki-mon.
- Why does the roof of the Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate look so large?
- The gate covers 12 tsubo but its roof spreads over more than 83 tsubo, carried far out on three-step bracket sets.
- Can I walk through the Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate?
- Only during the New Year period and the Hōjōya festival in September. At other times worship takes place in front of the gate.
Basic Information
| Name | Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate |
|---|---|
| Location | Hakozaki 1-chome, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | April 17, 1902 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 3 bays with 1 passage, hip-and-gable roof of cypress bark; footprint 12 tsubo, roof over 83 tsubo (per the shrine) |
| Owner | Hakozaki Shrine |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the grounds. Passage through the gate only at New Year and during the Hojoya festival |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Hakozaki Shrine Tower Gate (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/3459
- Fukuoka City Cultural Properties: Hakozakigu Shrine (Japanese)
- https://bunkazai.city.fukuoka.lg.jp/cultural_properties/detail/498
- Fukuoka City Cultural Properties: Tamatori-sai of Hakozakigu Shrine (Japanese)
- https://bunkazai.city.fukuoka.lg.jp/cultural_properties/detail/110
- Hakozaki Shrine (official): About the shrine (Japanese)
- https://hakozakigu.or.jp/about/
- Hakozaki Shrine (official): Guide to the grounds (Japanese)
- https://hakozakigu.or.jp/keidai/
Last verified: 2026.10.04
