Built in the early 17th century under Kuroda Nagamasa, Fukuoka Castle was once the largest fortress in the Kyūshū area, fortified with 47 yagura (watchtowers) in its heyday. Abandoned in 1871 following the Meiji Restoration, its buildings were largely dismantled or moved elsewhere, although a few select towers have survived to modern times. The grounds have been carefully maintained as a park in central Fukuoka. Like Kanazawa-jō and Akita's Kubota-jō, Fukuoka Castle never hosted a central donjon. The castle has also gone by the names Maizuru-jō and Seki-jō.