Dazaifu 2019: Government office ruins

My last bit of sightseeing in Dazaifu was at the ruins of the former government offices. Dazaifu used to be the political center of the island of Kyushu from the late 600s to the late 1100s and a large administrative complex was built here to govern the western region of Japan and also conduct diplomacy with mainland Asia. The buildings of the complex were destroyed after Dazaifu’s political influence collapsed but the foundation stones remain and you can get a good idea of where all the major structures were located. Today the government office ruins is a large public park in the western part of Dazaifu.