Japan In Focus

Fukuoka: Learning Facility About Massive Defensive Walls Against Mongol Invasions May Be Built

Courtesy of the Fukuoka city government
An image released in 2022 shows an envisioned facility displaying the remains of stone defense walls built in the 13th century to protect against Mongol invasion attempts.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:48 JST, February 7, 2026

FUKUOKA — A plan is being proposed to exhibit the ruins of a bulwark built in the 13th century to protect against Mongol invasions.

While these remains are found throughout the city of Fukuoka, there has been no facility to learn about the bulwark in a comprehensive manner.

In 1274 and 1281, the Mongol Empire and Goryeo dynasty on the Korean Peninsula, which was under the rule of the empire, attempted to invade Kyushu. After the first attack, the Japanese side built the stone bulwark along a 20-kilometer stretch of the coast to prepare for another invasion. Eleven sections of the defense wall in the city have been designated as national historic sites.

The city is considering establishing an indoor exhibition facility in the Hakozaki district of Higashi Ward, Fukuoka. The district was once home to Kyushu University’s campus and during the university’s relocation, excavations conducted in 2016 uncovered stone-piled structures and other remains. A total area of about 5,400 square meters in the district has been designated as a national historic site.

The city plans to create hands-on exhibits utilizing visual technology and hopes visitors to the envisioned facility will be encouraged to explore bulwark sections other than the Hakozaki site.