Mount Shura Site
首羅山遺跡 | |
 Satsuma-to on Mount Shura | |
  Mount Shura Site  Mount Shura Site (Japan) | |
| Location | Hisayama, Fukuoka, Japan |
|---|---|
| Region | Kyushu |
| Coordinates | 33°38′27″N 130°30′47″E / 33.64083°N 130.51306°E |
| History | |
| Periods | Heian period |
| Site notes | |
| Public access | Yes |
 | |
The Mount Shura Site (首羅山遺跡, Shurasan iseki) is the ruins of a medieval Buddhist temple located in town of Hisayama, Fukuoka Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 2013.[1]
Overview
The Shurasan ruins is located in the northeastern part of the town of Hisayama. The presence of ruins on the southern side of the 288-meter mountain has been known to locals for a long time, but no formal
hiking trail
cut through the area.
According to legend, during the
Song China who had settled in Hakata, and who had formed ties with powerful temples and shrines and aristocrats, and actively engaged in trade activities between Japan and China and in the wider East Asian waters. Their period of activity spanned approximately 200 years from the end of the 11th century to the Mongolian invasion of the latter half of the 13th century. The temple was used as a guest facility for important customers involved in trade with the Asian continent. The temple was largely destroyed in the wars of the Sengoku period, although it remained a holy mountain in the Edo period, when a Shinto shrine
was erected on its summit.
Artifacts found in the Shurasan ruins include many shards of trade ceramics, such as
Song China
.
See also
References
- ^ "首羅山遺跡" (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs..
External links
- Hisayama town home page(in Japanese)
- Cultural Properties in Fukuoka Prefecture(in Japanese)
- Fukuoka Tourism Web(in Japanese)