Heian Period.
The sea breeze from Fukuoka Port carried a moist salty tang, sweeping over the bay.
The wind contained not only the fresh scent of fish, shrimp, and seaweed but also mingled with the subtle aromas of cinnamon and sandalwood from the dark holds of merchant ships arriving from the Central Plains Wu Yue Country, along with the bitter smell of ginseng and the dust of sun-dried Azabu from vessels offloading goods from Silla. At the dock, brief Japanese phrases, soft Wu dialects, and coarse Silla words mixed like gravel, fragments of various languages swirled and merged amidst the sounds of waves, shouts, and the collision of cargo boxes, ultimately blending into the ever-surging tides.
Fukuoka, this was the throat of the Heian Dynasty, swallowing and exhaling the most turbulent vitality and desires of the entire empire.
