Mother has a youthful and cheerful friend in his 70s names Takemoto-san who does voluntary tour guide in Fukutsu, Fukuoka, where her house is situated.
As we are back in Fukuoka temporarily, we requested him to take us "a half-day Fukutsu tour" visiting three significant historic sites, which was concluded with full of funs and learning. I would like to take you too with us on ASKSiddhi.
Our tour started on a chilly November morning at 9 AM. First, we headed to the home of dozens of mounded tombs called "Shimbaru-Nuyama Mounded Tomb Group," constructed in about fifth to sixth centuries. In 2017, the site has been registered as UNESCO's World Heritage. I found a very informative page explaining the site and other Munakata heritages in English, please read here:
Shimbaru-Nuyama Mounded Tomb Group - The Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region
Although Fukutsu is not my hometown, I was aware of the tombs since I was 13, the year we shifted to the new home my late father had built here. However, shamefully, I hardly had interested in them; they were just strangely-shaped random hillocks on the paddies to me.
Takemoto-san's tactical guide was not only accurate according to known facts but also inspiring and curiosity-driving. When he explained about Munakata clan governing the region's overseas trades, he showed us the straight line connecting between Munakata and Busan, Korea on the map installed by the tourist office. I was thrilled by the idea the people in that time had much powerful imagination and forward thinkings. At the same time, there will be infinite possibilities in further discoveries of the strong ties between Japan and the continent followed by the WHS registration.
He said he often led tours for primary and junior high school children and felt those youths were quite enthusiastic in knowing the real stories behind the history Google or Internet searches would never discover. I agree with them.
I want to take time in going through one tomb and another. Stay tuned for a couple of following days on ASKSiddhi.
