Dazaifu Tenmangu is a Shinto shrine, located in Dazaifu City, Fukuoka Prefecture.

Well-known for its association with the deity of learning, culture, and the arts,

this Shinto shrine attracts over ten million domestic and international visitors each year.

These visitors come to pray for success on exams, good fortune in the New Year, and protection from misfortune.

As one of the customs, the visitors to the shrine write their wish on a wooden plate and dedicate it to the shrine.

"Please help my brother pass his entrance exam."

The enshrined deity is Sugawara Michizane.

During the Heian period in the 9th century, he was demoted from the capital to Dazaifu and passed away in despair.

After his death, his body was buried where the "honden,"

the main shrine building, stands now in Dazaifu.

A number of mysteries around him remain unsolved.

Michizane was not only a scholar but also a government official.

Throughout the different eras, he has been revered as 'Tenjin,'

a "deity" of learning, culture and the arts, by those in power.

Despite being a person who was exiled by the emperor at the time,

Michizane has been respected and admired for over a thousand years.

Even today, the Shrine rituals held to worship Michizane remain unchanged from the days of the past.

In one of those rituals,

the local residents come out of their homes and join their hands in prayer as a "mikoshi," or a portable shrine, approaches.

People have prayed for him in this way for hundreds of years, generation after generation.

The precincts of Dazaifu Tenmangu are adorned with beautiful trees and flowers.

It is a sacred sanctuary for the living creatures that have been protected

by those who hold reverence for Michizane throughout the ages.

Dazaifu Tenmangu has captivated people and gathered their prayers for over a millennium.

Let us take a closer look at this mysterious and sacred place,

alongside the vibrant colors of the changing seasons.

The Onisube Festival takes place on the grounds of Dazaifu Tenmangu,

and it is one of the shrine rituals to ward off misfortune.

The festival, which has been held for over a thousand years, began in order to ward off evil spirits.

Following Michizane's death, there were outbreaks of epidemics and natural disasters,

so Michizane's great-grand son, Sukemasa, started this festival to drive away evil forces.

"Here comes the ogre!"

The shrine parishioners, who tasked with slaying the ogre, fan the flames of the straw bonfires,

driving smoke into the hall in an attempt to smoke out and drive out the ogre.

Overwhelmed by the smoke, the ogre cannot bear it and come out of the temple,

leading to their defeat and the arrival of peace.

The festival-goers from the neighborhood take home the charred wall panels broken off from the temple.

They display them at the entrances of their homes,

turning them into protective charms against fire for the year ahead.

Sugawara Michizane was not only a scholar but also an exceptional bureaucrat.

Why was he compelled to be exiled to Dazaifu,

a distant land far from the capital of Japan in ancient times?

Why was Sugawara Michizane demoted?

Right next to the "honden" of Dazaifu Tenmangu, there is a single plum tree.

This sacred tree, known as "tobi-ume" (the flying plum),

blooms first among all of the other plum trees at Tenmangu.

'Tenjin Engi Emaki (the illustrated scroll of Tenjin legends),' painted after he was demoted to Dazaifu,

depicts a scene where Michizane bids a regretful farewell to his beloved plum tree in his Kyoto mansion.

According to legend,

the plum tree deeply missed its master Michizane and flew from Kyoto to Dazaifu in a single night.

Why was he demoted and transferred to Dazaifu?

The answer lies in 'Tenmangu Engi Gaden,' the illustrated biography of Tenmangu legends written in the 18th century.

Born into a scholarly family, Michizane diligently pursued learning from a very young age,

studying alongside a number of other students at a private school run by the Sugawara family, known as 'Kankerouka.'

When he was twenty-seven, he became a court noble and, at the young age of thirty-three,

he achieved the highest scholarly rank at that time of 'Monjo Hakase,' a professor of literature.

That is why he is revered as the deity of learning now.

Later, at the age of forty-two, Michizane was appointed as 'Sanuki no kami,'

the governor of Sanuki province, where he found the citizens facing economic collapse.

Witnessing citizens suffering from heavy taxation,

he sympathized with them and listened to the stories of their hard lives.

He thought, "If things continue like this, my people will grow weaker and more impoverished.

If I do not become a more compassionate governor, they will all soon run away."

This is 'Kanke Bunsou,' a Chinese Poetry anthology written and edited by Michizane in his later years,

which has become a valuable historical source.

This collection of poems says that Michizane submitted his opinion to the emperor,

advising him to reconsider the dispatch of Japanese envoys by the Imperial Court to Tang China,

something that had been ongoing for over 200 years.

Having witnessed the difficult lives of the people he was governing,

he thought that the Japanese government should stop spending vast sums of money on the Japanese missions to Tang

and instead start reviewing and reforming the domestic political systems.

Matsukawa Hirokazu at Kyushu Historical Museum is an expert on Japanese ancient history,

and has been studying Michizane's life and the Dazaifu area.

Having observed and compared the actual conditions
of the local government to the other political policies,

Michizane thoroughly examined the state of his country.
This is an example of his political approaches.

He would make calm and flexible political judgments
so that he could act in the nation's best interest.

Michizane quickly rose in the political world to become "Udaijin,"

the second highest post in the Emperor's court.

However, his success caused significant concern for the Fujiwara clan, the family of power in those days.

Due to the slanderous attacks by the Fujiwara clan, who had long-established ties with the Imperial family,

in 901, at the age of 56, Michizane was suddenly demoted to Dazaifu by Emperor Daigo.

He was dismissed from his post of "Udaijin" and exiled to Dazaifu in Kyushu,

which was 600 kilometers away from the Court.

This is a place called "Enoki-sha," a shrine built on the ground where Michizane's house used to stand.

Forbidden from engaging in any political affairs,

Michizane met an untimely death after two years in this place,

never able to clear his name of the baseless accusation made against him.

There is a treasure kept in the shrine.

It's a pair of hanging scrolls of Chinese poetry, which are said to have been written by Michizane himself.

Michizane mourned over his demotion due to the false accusations and composed verses expressing his longing for Kyoto.

"Three months, or four months have passed since leaving Kyoto while my tears have flowed.

Everything that has happened to me seems like a dream and I bewail my fate as I look up at the sky to the east."

Among the kanji, or Chinese characters,

the forms of multiple birds are depicted using the 'bird dot brushstroke.'

By using this technique,

it is said that Michizane was expressing his feeling of desperately wishing to fly back to Kyoto.

February 25th is the anniversary of Michizane's death and it is called 'Baikasai,' or the festival of plum blossoms.

Michizane passed away with deep regret in his heart.

After his death, memorial services have continued without interruption.

Shrine maidens dance 'Tobi-ume no Mai,' the dance of the flying plum tree,

with a branch of plum blossoms in their hands.

Michizane's descendants have prayed for the repose of his soul for generations.

Nishitakatsuji Nobuhiro is a 40th generation descendant,

and is currently serving as the chief priest of the shrine.

Prayers have been offered to Michizane for over one thousand years.

Michizane's wish to return to the capital was never granted.

Far away from the Imperial Palace, he passed away two years after his demotion,

even before his innocence was proven.

It is said that he left a request that his body should be carried by an oxcart

and buried where the ox came to a stop.

That very place is the current "honden" of Dazaifu Tenmangu,

and where Sugawara Michizane has rested for a thousand years.

I'm serving Master Sugawara Michizane
right next to him as he rests here.

I also serve with a strong sense of responsibility
because I am aware of his historical importance.

A great number of people have admired and
offered their prayers for him for over 1,100 years.

How did Michizane become the deity, "Tenjin-sama?"

Michizane died in the depths of despair.

This picture depicts the scene when the house of the then-Emperor was struck by lightning.

After the death of Michizane, the Imperial Palace experienced a number of natural disasters such as

rainstorms, floods and plague, and deaths occurred frequently within the Imperial family and the Fujiwara clan.

People believed that this was all attributed to Michizane's angry spirit.

In order to appease his vengeful spirit and calm his departed soul,

Emperor Daigo issued an edict to overturn Michizane's demotion and reinstate him to his former post.

However, the disasters continued and Emperor Daigo himself became sick and passed away.

After about eighty years since Michizane's death,

Emperor Ichijo, the ruler of the time, deified Michizane as Tenjin.

Since then, Michizane has been worshiped nationwide as "Tenjin-sama,"

the deity of learning, culture, and the arts, acknowledged by the emperor.

In Japan, there is what is called 'Goryo-shinko,'
a folk religious belief of avenging spirits.

People have believed and feared that
someone who died in despair

due to political fights or warfare,
would bring misfortune to society.

In order to calm their soul,
prayers should be offered to their spirit.

This belief has been around in Japan for centuries.

In those days at the Imperial Palace,
there were natural disasters that were believed

to have been caused as Michizane cursed them.
People in Kyoto, especially the aristocrats,

and even the Imperial family
feared this great crisis the most.

So, the Imperial family deified Michizane
at Kitano Tenmangu in Kyoto,

acknowledging him in the hierarchy of
religious values in the nation.

In addition, they sent a mission to Dazaifu Tenmangu
in order to officially restore Michizane's honor.

I think they had to do it both ways in an attempt
to comfort Master Michizane's spirit.

Michizane became "Tenjin-sama," the deity of learning, culture, and the arts.

From ancient times, the area around Dazaifu Tenmangu had been a place of great importance

as the chief location for governing the Kyushu Island and as a gateway for exchanges with Asia.

Dazaifu Tenmangu has become a sacred place with the prayers dedicated by those in power throughout the ages.

Over the course of more than a thousand years, numerous cultural treasures have been dedicated to "Tenjin-sama."

At the end of the 12th century in the Heian period, Taira no Kiyomori,

whose financial basis was the trade between Japan and the Song Dynasty,

provided protection to the Dazaifu area, a hub for international trade in those days.

At the shrine, there remains a sword that is said to have been dedicated to "Tenjin-sama" by Shigemori,

the first son of Kiyomori, as a token of his gratitude.

It is said that the Taira clan relied on Dazaifu, which had connections to overseas trade,

to gather information and pray for the safe conduct of trade.

This sword was made by a man called Bungo-no-kuni Yukihira,

who was known as one of the best swordsmiths in the country at the time.

This remarkable sword, adorned with a figure of a dragon carved in fine relief, was dedicated to the shrine.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the warring feudal lords in the 16th century,

visited Dazaifu Tenmangu to pray for triumph in battle.

In those days, every samurai warrior would pay a visit to the Shinto shrines and the Buddhist temples

to pray for a victory on the battlefield.

This trade license shows that Hideyoshi donated a large part of his land ownership to Dazaifu Tenmangu.

Sanjo Sanetomi, who took the role of assistant chief to the Emperor in the mid-19th century, also prayed to "Tenjin-sama."

Sanjo decided to fight to overthrow the Shogunate,

but he was exiled from the capital for a certain period of time.

Sanjo fled to a local province together with his comrades,

and found shelter with the 35th successive family head of Dazaifu Tenmangu who welcomed him.

Sanjo Sanetomi lived in this residence for three years,

where the family of the chief priest at Tenmangu still lives today.

He would visit the shrine every day, wishing for the success of the overthrow of the Shogunate.

After the Meiji Restoration in 1868 that ended the Tokugawa shogunate,

Sanjo dedicated his cherished 'Raden no Mizu Shaku,'

a ladle decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay, to the shrine as a token of his gratitude.

The inside of the ladle is colored with Japanese red lacquer, while its outside is covered with mother-of-pearl inlay,

featuring the family crest of the Sanjo family at the top.

Why has Michizane been admired and respected?

Sugawara Michizane, who always cared for his people,

is remembered through a ritual that remains between Tenmangu and its parishioners

and reminds every one of his great personality.

Here is the "mikoshi," a portable shrine that has been carefully preserved, getting brought out.

'Jinkosiki taisai, or The Grand Procession of Sugawara Michizane' is a shrine ritual that began more than 900 years ago.

This "mikoshi" is used for Michizane's spirit to ride during the festival.

On one special autumn day, Michizane embarks on a journey aboard this "mikoshi."

His trip ends at "Enoki-sha" which stands on the site where Michizane was once imprisoned.

Here at "Enoki-sha," the local parishioners have been busy preparing to welcome Michizane.

The festival has been held without interruption for hundreds of years,

thanks to the people who deeply revere and admire Sugawara Michizane.

There stands a small shrine at the back of "Enoki-sha" called "Jomyo-ni sha."

An old woman who lived nearby took good care of Michizane during his uncomfortable life in Dazaifu.

Michizane would visit this small shrine every year

just to show his gratitude to this old nun who later came to known as "Jomyo-ni."

In Engi Gaden, the legend and picture scrolls handed down at Dazaifu Tenmangu,

we can see "Jomyo-ni" depicted offering "mochi" rice cakes to Michizane.

"Jomyo-ni" also lived in poverty,
and had very little to offer,

but though it was humble,
made "mochi" to give to him.

One special day in autumn, the "mikoshi" with the spirit of Michizane departs for "Enoki-sha."

White cloths are set up in front of the door where Michizane will emerge,

which will conceal his figure from any eyes around.

"Lights off."

The chief priest moves the spirit of Michizane
onto the "mikoshi."

"Please take the 'mikoshi' slowly to the west."

The "mikoshi" carrying Michizane's spirit departs the "honden" accompanied by the light of paper lanterns

and 300 people dressed in the traditional ceremonial attire of the Heian period, to proceed towards "Enoki-sha."

For generations, the young local parishioners have been the bearers of this sacred portable "mikoshi."

"Please slowly lower the head of the 'mikoshi.'"

As the "mikoshi" approaches, the local residents come out of their homes.

From generation to generation, over hundreds of years, the people have prayed at the sight of the "mikoshi."

Michizane's dedication to lifelong learning and service to his people has been passed on over the generations,

and he continues to be admired and respected as "Tenjin-sama" to this day.

Dazaifu Tenmangu in colors of the four seasons.

On the grounds of the shrine stands a large camphor tree, and it's over 1500 years old.

Until Michizane's burial, this area was a primeval forest of camphor trees.

After his death, this ground became a place for prayers and people dedicated trees and flowers,

creating a new microcosm of nature.

Michizane loved plum trees and there are approximately 6000 of them,

all dedicated to Michizane, "Tenjin-sama."

These plum trees were planted by people to celebrate longevity and welcome new life.

By planting the trees, they have expressed their gratitude to "Tenjin-sama" and a desire to share their joy.

A painter, Kambe Tomoyuki is making a sketch of a plum tree in the shrine.

He is deeply fascinated by the long history of Dazaifu Tenmangu and its beautiful nature,

and has been capturing the ever-changing scenery of the seasons within the grounds with his paintings.

The strong connection between him and the shrine was forged on March 11, 2011, the day of The Great East Japan Earthquake.

On that day, he happened to be painting plum blooms on the ground of the shrine.

That moment of the great disaster impacted him with its significance as it intersected a timeline of a thousand years in Dazaifu.

That year, Kambe dedicated his paintings on a pair of "byobu,"

or four-panel folding screens, with his own work titled 'Isshun no Eien (A Moment of Eternity).'

The left screen, adorned with gold leaf, depicts the silhouette of a white plum tree against the backdrop of the sun.

The right screen, shimmering with silver leaf,

portrays a reflection of a red plum tree on the surface of a pond illuminated by moonlight.

I felt it was my destiny that I was present at the shrine

at the exact time when the earthquake happened.
Of course, I couldn't feel the ground shake myself,

but I strongly felt that it was that day
when our country underwent significant changes.

Dazaifu Tenmangu is a shrine that has endured
for more than a thousand years,

It has taken shape through the accumulation of
each day to develop into its present state.

Every feeling and every event that has happened here
has been gathered up over a long period of time,

and all of these moments continue and
connect to form an eternal flow of time.

I wished to express that in my paintings
and I chose the title for that reason.

Impressed by his deep understanding and appreciation of Tenmangu,

the chief priest has asked Kambe to create a work for the shrine.

'Bunsho-kan,' built in 1901,

has 12 "fusuma" sliding doors which are to be beautifully adorned with his paintings on both sides of the doors.

They will remain for future generations to see.

To immerse himself in the atmosphere and history of Tenmangu,

Kambe and his family relocated from Kanagawa, near Tokyo all the way to Dazaifu.

Kambe planted a plum tree to celebrate the birth of his own child.

He chose the "The Four Seasons of Dazaifu Tenmangu" as his theme for his "fusuma" sliding door paintings.

Japanese irises color the Shrine precincts in the summer.

Over 30,000 Japanese irises of more than 50 different kinds in colors of white and purple are in full bloom.

These irises, too, have been dedicated to "Tenjin-sama" and carefully protected and nurtured for a long time.

Kambe intends to imbue the feeling of each person's dedication in his paintings on the "fusuma" sliding doors.

Here, he is painting Japanese irises blooming on the grounds of the shrine in summer.

As he would often play in the mountains and rivers in his childhood,

Kambe was drawn to Japanese painting through nature.

He loves Japanese painting with the materials used to complete works,

such as pigments from crushed natural ores and the glue and "washi" paper made from the bark of the mulberry tree,

all derived from the natural world.

These materials have been carefully passed down by artisans for over a thousand years.

He has decided to cover the surface of the "fusuma" sliding doors with gold and platinum metal foils

to ensure that they maintain their brilliance without fading for centuries to come.

The technique used by Kambe is his own,

in which he repeats a process of applying metallic foil, painting with pigments,

and coloring over very thin Japanese paper which allows him to express depth in the background,

the overlapping of flowers and leaves and other fine details.

The "fusuma" sliding door paintings will be completed and dedicated to the shrine in 2027

to commemorate the 1125th anniversary of Michizane's death.

The lives of the "small beings" depicted by Kambe in his paintings coincide with Michizane's unwavering gaze,

which always contemplated the lives of the people.

The small creatures living on the grounds
of Tenmangu enjoy free and energetic lives.

The presence of those small creatures and plants
contribute to creating a sacred and peaceful place.

Their lives and activities can teach us
a lot of important lessons,

providing us with various hints of how to live life,
for they live positive and sincere lives themselves.

I feel that we should reevaluate our own lives

as we learn a lot from those small creatures
and plants which I try to depict in my own work.

In winter, Dazaifu Tenmangu was covered with a blanket of snow.

And once again, "tobi-ume," the flying plum tree blooms.

"Tenjin-sama" continues gathering the prayers of the people across a thousand years.