Kokubu Tile Kiln Ruins
| Location | City of Dazaifu |
|---|---|
| Designation | National Historical Site |
| Emblem |  |
This was the site of a tile kiln located northeast of the Chikuzen Kokubun-ji Temple Ruins. It was a climbing kiln that used adobe for the walls and ceiling. This kiln was thought to have been used in the mid-8th century, and the founding tiles for Chikuzen Kokubun-ji Temple were most likely fired here.
The Kiln That Fired Tiles Decorating The Roof of Kokubun-ji Temple
The kiln ruins are located about 200 meters northeast of the Chikuzen Kokubun-ji Temple Ruins, and while there once were nine kilns on the hills stretching from Mount Shioji, only two are preserved today. Tiles with the same patterns as those collected at the kiln site have been unearthed not only at the Chikuzen Kokubun-ji Temple Ruins, but also at Kanzeon-ji Temple and the Dazaifu Government Office Ruins, and tiles fired at this kiln decorated various roofs throughout the "Western Capital”.
Dazaifu City Characters/Tabito the Traveler, Otomo no Tabitto, Princess Reiwa
First, head to the Culture Hall.
Walk north up the slope from this entrance for two minutes and you’ll reach the edge of a pond, next to which is an explanation board and a stone monument carved with the phrase “Historic Kokubu Tile Kiln Site”.
Unfortunately you cannot look at the kilns because they are within the pond or in the soil, but at least nine kilns have been confirmed.
Access Information
Address
818-0132 4-17-21 Kokubu, Dazaifu, Fukuoka
By Train
About 25 min on foot from Nishitetsu Tofuromae Station
About the Western Capital
The “Western Capital”, created in Tsukushi 1300 years ago. Cultural assets speaking to the magnificence of this city of international exchange that flourished in East Asia are scattered across the cities of Chikushino, Kasuga, Onojo, Dazaifu, Nakagawa, and Umi in Fukuoka Prefecture as well as the town of Kiyama in Saga Prefecture.