【Discover the Feature Exhibition】 The Sakimori

 - Soldiers garrisoned in Northern Kyushu in Ancient Times

January 17th (Tue.) ~ April 23rd (Sun.), 2023

Pottery from Tohoku region (Northern Japan) 8th century

Since Fukuoka is the closest city in Japan to Mainland China, it was not only a window for foreign exchange but also a place vulnerable to invasion as an entry point from the continent.

In 663, Japan suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the combined forces of Tang and Silla, known as the Battle of Baekgang. The Yamato Imperial Court, fearing a Tang invasion, dispatched soldiers from the eastern provinces to Kyushu, such as Tsushima, Iki, Tsukushi and other provinces as the Sakimori soldiers.

Pottery from the Tohoku region was excavated from a pit dwelling from the Nara period (710-784) at the Zasshonokuma site in Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City. The shape of the dwelling is similar to that from the Tohoku region, leading us to believe that it’s also the residence of the Sakimori soldiers who had been dispatched from the same region.

During the Mongol invasions of Fukuoka in 1274 and 1281, a group of warriors from the western provinces were dispatched to the area. The 'Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba,’ an illustrated account of the Mongol invasion, eloquently describes the battle against the army. It also shows the exploits of Takezaki Suenaga, a samurai warrior from Higo (present-day Kumamoto area).

In this exhibition, we focus on the soldiers who had been stationed in Fukuoka to fight against foreign enemies, such as Western samurai warriors in the Kamakura period (1185-1333), as well as the ancient Sakimori soldiers.

Exhibition view