Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city was built along the shores of Hakata Bay during the Stone Age, and it served as the port of the administrative capital of Dazaifu during the 7th century. Fukuoka served as a center of commerce for millennia, as it serves as the gateway to the Japanese Home Islands from the Asian mainland. The city rose to prominence during the Yamato period and came to be home to several Buddhist temples. Fukuoka was targeted by the Mongols during the Mongol invasions of Japan in 1274 and 1281, but the first invasion was defeated at Hakata Bay and the second invasion driven off by a "divine wind." Fukuoka later served as the residence of the daimyo of Chikuzen Province and the capital of the Fukuoka Domain, and the temple of Ieyasu Tokugawa was destroyed by fire during the Boshin War of 1868. The modern city was formed in 1889 when old Fukuoka and Hakata merged into a single city. By 2015, Fukuoka had surpassed both Kobe and Kyoto in size, becoming the largest city in western Japan. In 2021, Fukuoka had 1,603,543 residents.
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