Fukuoka
[key], city, capital of Fukuoka prefecture, N Kyushu, Japan, on Hakata
Bay. An important seaport, airport hub, and railway terminus, it is one of
the largest and most prosperous cities on Kyushu. It is known for iron and
steel production, the manufacture of computer components and textiles, and a
large fishing industry. Fukuoka is also the seat of several universities,
including Kyushu Univ. The well-known Hakata dolls have been made there for
centuries. The ancient port area, Hakata, was in medieval times one of the
chief ports of Japan. The Mongols under Kublai Khan twice (1274, 1281) were
defeated at Hakata. The city of Fukuoka has three noted shrines—the
Buddhist temple of Kannonji, the Dazaifu Temmangu shrine, and a 16th-century
Shinto temple. In the city and nearby are also many buildings constructed
during that late 20th cent. that were designed by noted Western and Japanese
architects. Fukuoka prefecture, 1,907 sq mi (4,939 sq km), is bounded on the
north by Shimonoseki Strait and on the east by the Inland Sea. The Chikuho
River valley in the north is a rich agricultural district, producing rice,
wheat, and barley. Kitakyushu, an
amalgamation (1963) of five cities, is the largest industrial complex in
Kyushu.
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