Recent archaeological research and study have revealed its location, and we now know what size the building was, what kind of items were used, and even what kind of food the people ate. In this article, we will introduce the Korokan that have appeared in modern times.

The Legendary Korokan

Fukuoka City Museum

The Konokan was an important Japanese diplomatic facility established in the Heian Period. It functioned as a guesthouse to attend envoys from Tang (China), Silla (Korea), and other countries, and was also used as an accommodation for Japanese envoys and monks before they were sent abroad.
Similar facilities existed in Kyoto (Heian-kyo) and Osaka (Namba), but only Fukuoka's Korokan has been confirmed as a national historic site.

The orokan had played its role for 400 years, but disappeared from history in the 11th century by arson.
It lost its substantial function after the fire, and the role as a trading center shifted to Hakata.
The Korokan has disappeared from people's memories.

The “Discovery” of the Korokan

The Korokan has disappeared from history. Who  discovered it and how?
Since the Edo period, the location of the Korokan had been thought to be near the current Shimogofukumachi, Hakata-ku, but in the Taisho era, Dr. Heijiro Nakayama, a professor of medicine and archaeology at Kyushu University questioned this theory.
He studied Manyo poems composed by ancient people, and examined six poems composed by a group of envoys to Silla at the Tsukushi-no-Murotsumi (later known as the Korokan) and by the sea.

“Shika no ama no hitohi mo ochizu yakushio no Karaki koi wo mo arewa suru kamo”
(I have a salty love, like the salt that the fisherman of the Shika islands burns in the smoke.)

“Shika no ura ni izarisuru ama iebito no Machikouran ni akashi tsuru uo”
(A fisherman who fishes at the shore of Shika Island stays up all night fishing while his wife is at home.)

“Kashihue ni tazu nakiwataru shika no ura ni Okitsu shiranami tachishi kurashi mo”
(A crane cries and flies across to Kashinohue as the offshore white waves come in at Shika-no-Ura.)

“Shika no ura ni izarisuru ama akekureba Urama kogurashi kaji no oto kikoyu”
(The sound of the rudder paddling can be heard. Along the Shika-no-Ura where the fisherman fishes at the dawn.)

“Shika” and ”at the Shika-no-Ura”
= Shika Island can be seen from the Korokan.

“Ima yori wa akizuki nurashi ashihikino Yama matsu kage ni higurashi nakinu”
(Now it is already fall, and I am still here in the shade of the pine trees in Kyushu far from my hometown, cicadas are chirping constantly.)

“In the shade of pine tree on a mountain, Higurashi are chirping”
= Pine trees grow on a mountain where cicadas chirp 
= There are mountain pine trees where Higurashi chirp near the Tsukushi-no-Murotsumi(later known as the Korokan).

“Kamusaburu aratsu no saki ni yosuru Namima nakuya imo ni koi watarinan”
(Like the waves that come and go, never ceasing at the Aratsu-no-Saki, I will miss my wife, I left behind, unceasingly during my long journey hereafter.)

“At the Aratsu-no-Saki.”
= The Aratsu-no-Saki (beyond the current the West Park) can be seen from the Korokan.

Based on the above observations, Dr. Nakayama assumed the location on a hilly area where Fukuoka Castle was located, with a view of the Shika Island and the Cape Aratsu. He tried to investigate the castle, but it was not freely accessible since it was an army base at that time. Therefore, during the two days of Dontaku, when the castle was open to public, he conducted research inside Fukuoka Castle and collected ancient roof tiles. He concluded that “the Korokan was located inside the former Fukuoka Castle.”

To the Excavation of the Korokan

After the war, the site of the Korokan was about to disppear due to the construction of an athletic stadium and the Heiwadai Stadium. However, in 1987, the remains of the Korokan were found through excavation of the Heiwadai Stadium, confirming Dr. Nakayama's theory. This was the moment when the mythical Korokan was revealed. The discovery was widely broadcasted by the mass media, which even triggered a “Korokan boom”.

Dr. Nakayama, who continued through fieldwork and surface sampling, and the archaeologists, who succeeded his wishes, brought the discovery of the Korokan beyond 1,000 years. 

Field briefing in 1987(left)

the excavated Korokan North Wing(right)

Items Brought to the Korokan

Various artifacts are on the display at the Korokan Exhibition Hall. 

Various ceramics were brought from China (Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties) from the 8th to 11th centuries.

The ceramics, produced and imported from Tang (China)

A lot of ceramics, broken due to fire or other reasons and discarded, found in the ruins

Ceramics, brought from the Korean Peninsula and the Islamic world.

Some of the roof tiles of the Korokan were made in kilns located in Nishi-ku, Fukuoka City.

Wooden tags used for packing labels indicate that food was supplied from various parts of Kyushu and the Setouchi region.

At the Korokan site, the center of international exchange in ancient times, ceramics from China, Korea, and the Islamic countries in West Asia and glassware from the Persian region were excavated.
These items indicate that the Korokan played a role in the extensive trade network from East Asia to West Asia, including the Silk Road.

The Korokan, where envoys to Tang and Silla stayed 

Left: Ennin (Collection of Fukuoka City Museum)
Right: Kukai (Source: National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Japan)

The Korokan was not only a guesthouse but also an accommodation for envoys to Tang and Silla who risked their lives on voyages. Students and monks such as Kibi-no-Makibi, Saicho, Kukai, and Ennin also stayed here.

After they returned, they passed on advanced knowledge and techniques in Buddhism, medicine, architecture, crafts, and calligraphy.
The envoys to Tang began with the dispatch of Inukami-no-Mitasuki in 630, and continued for more than 200 years. During this period, 20 dispatches were planned and executed 15 times.
 
The crossing of the East China Sea was extremely dangerous, and eight shipwrecks have been recorded. The mission of the envoys to the Tang was a grand voyage and risky adventure.

Visit the Korokan Exhibition Hall filled with history! 

At the Korokan Exhibition Hall, you can see the excavated artifacts as well as the remains and reconstructed buildings as excavated. In the Korokan Plaza, there is a display showing the size of the Korokan and washroom of the time as determined by the research. The Maizuru Park is a spot where visitors can experience the ancient history of the Asuka and Heian periods. Please visit it.

⇩[Fukuoka Heritage Week] Official Website⇩