The next few images, like the previous one,
are from Sofukuji Temple, the last temple on our walk.
To the south of the temple grounds is a large cemetery and to
the west is a strip of land with perhaps a half dozen, very old
and very large monuments or grave markers.
We met a woman by the large monuments who enthusiastically told
us all about them and even showed us a picture of a
samurai. We listened but couldn't make head nor tails out
of what she was telling us. Absolutely did not comprehend
a thing.
It turns out she was telling us that among the graves are those
of several famous samurai, including those of Kanbei and
Nagamasa Kuroda. The Kuroda family samurai helped the
emperor at a critical juncture and were rewarded with a large
piece of land and their own prime time TV serial Gunshi
Kanbei, shown every Sunday. (There are posters for
the show all over town.) The Kurodas used the land grant
to found Fukuoka by building Fukuoka Castle and the associated
"samurai town."
Sofukuji Temple originated in Dazaifu and was moved here after
it became the Kuroda family temple, which is why Fukuoka's most
prominent samurai and most popular TV personality is buried
here.
