Kinin Kōen — Gold Seal Park (Shikanoshima)

photo by MAKIKO OMOKAWA · CC BY-SA 3.0

photo by そらみみ (Soramimi) · CC BY-SA 4.0

A farmer found the Han gold seal, now a National Treasure, here in 1784.

The park marks the spot where, according to tradition, in 1784 (Tenmei 4) the farmer Jinbei found the gold seal ‘Kan no Wa no Na no Koku Ō’ under a large rock: the gift that Emperor Guangwu of the Later Han dynasty gave to the king of the land of Wa in AD 57. The seal is designated a National Treasure (first in 1931, then again in 1954 under the current law) and is now on display at the Fukuoka City Museum, not here: the park is the site of the find; it does not hold the object. Excavations by Kyushu University and the city of Fukuoka have never confirmed a structure associated with the find, so what remains is the promontory itself and the memorial stones.

ℹ️ Outdoor public park; the municipality's official page lists no opening hours and no ticket (source: bunkazai.city.fukuoka.lg.jp). ⚠️ The real seal is NOT here: if you want to see it you have to go to the Fukuoka City Museum (福岡市博物館), a completely different place.

🚉 金印塚 · 1 min walk

Sources: bunkazai.city.fukuoka.lg.jp

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