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In the vast precincts of Dazaifu Tenmangu, spreading over 3,000 acres, 6,000 plum trees surround a tranquil garden, a suitable setting for a shrine.
| Honden (Main Shrine) |
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| Two years after the death of Michizane, his follower Yasuyuki Umasake built the first shrine in 905. A larger structure was constructed by the Fujiwara clan in 919 but was burnt to the ground during the one of many civil wars. The main shrine visitors see today dates from 1591 and is a fine example of Momoyama-styled architecture. |
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| Taikobashi and Shinjiike (Taiko-Bridge and Shinji-Pond) |
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| The bridge is formed from three elements, the first arched bridge represents the past, the flat bridge the present, and the second arched bridge the future. It is typically a Buddhism in conception, reflecting the idea that one thought only should be held at the given time. Beautiful Shinjiike is a pond shaped to resemble the ideogram for "heart." |
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| Shoubuike (Pond of Iris) |
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| Just to the right of the bridge is this pretty pond, seen to best advantage in June, when irises are in full bloom. |
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| Kusunoki (Camphor tree) |
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| There are many camphor trees in the area, and the one towering to the left of the main shrine is estimated at least 1,500 years old. |
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