Hakata is a district located in Hakata-ku in Fukuoka City, one of the central areas of Fukuoka, the largest city on Kyushu. Fukuoka City is a town that has developed on both sides of the Naka-gawa River, since Kuroda Nagamasa, a general of the samurai army in the 17th century, constructed Fukuoka Castle there. The eastern side of the river has developed as Hakata, a merchant town, while the western side developed as Fukuoka, a castle town.