is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in

Saga Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. Saga Prefecture has a population of 809,248 (1 August 2020) and has a geographic area of 2,440 km2 (942 sq mi). Saga Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northeast and Nagas ...

on the island of

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

. Its name, formed from the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

word roots 唐 ''kara'' (China, or continental East Asia in general), and 津 ''tsu'' (port), signifies its historical importance as an ancient trading port between Japan with China and Korea. The central area of Karatsu, which does not include the former cities and villages of Higashimatsuura District, has a population of 78,386. As of January 1, 2020, the city had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of 117,663 and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

of 241 persons per km². The total area is 487.59 km². On January 1, 2005, the towns of

Chinzei The branch, also called the , of Jōdo-shū Buddhism is the main branch that exists today, and was first established by Benchō a disciple of Hōnen, but formalized into a separate branch by Benchō's disciple Ryōchū. Originally based in Kyush ...

, Hamatama,

Hizen was an old province of Japan in the area of the Saga and Nagasaki prefectures. It was sometimes called , with Higo Province. Hizen bordered on the provinces of Chikuzen and Chikugo. The province was included in Saikaidō. It did not incl ...

, Kyūragi, Ōchi, Yobuko and the village of Kitahata (all from

Higashimatsuura District is a district located in Saga Prefecture, Japan. At the present it has only one town. As of April 1, 2021, the district has an estimated population of 5,211 and a density of 145 persons per square kilometre. The total area is . Municipalities ...

) were merged into Karatsu. On January 1, 2006, the village of Nanayama (from

) was merged into Karatsu.

Geography

Due to its proximity to mainland Asia, Karatsu has long been known as a stopover to

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. *

Mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

s: Mt. Sakurei (887.1 m), Mt. Hachiman (763.6 m), Mt. Tonbo (535 m) * Natural Parks:

Hachimandake Prefectural Natural Park is a Prefectural Natural Park in central Saga Prefecture, Japan. Established in 1970, the park spans the municipalities of Imari, Karatsu, Takeo, and Taku Taku may refer to: Places North America * the Taku River, in Alaska and British Colu ...

Sefuri-Kitayama Prefectural Natural Park is a Prefectural Natural Park in northern Saga Prefecture, Japan. Established in 1975, the park spans the municipalities of Kanzaki, Karatsu, Kiyama, Miyaki, Saga, Tosu, and Yoshinogari. See also * Sefuri Raizan Prefectural Natural Park ...

, Tenzan Prefectural Natural Park

Adjoining municipalities

** Genkai **

Imari is a city located in Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Imari is most notable because of Imari porcelain, which is the European collectors' name for Japanese porcelain wares made in the town of Arita, Saga Prefecture. The porcelain ...

Saga is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super NES to th ...

** Takeo **

Taku Taku may refer to: Places North America * the Taku River, in Alaska and British Columbia ** Fort Taku, also known as Fort Durham and as Taku, a former fort of the Hudson's Bay Company near the mouth of the Taku River ** the Taku Glacier, in Ala ...

Fukuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the southwest, K ...

** Itoshima

Climate

History

Under

ritsuryō , , is the historical law system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (律令制). ''Kyaku'' (格) are amendments of Ritsuryō, ''Shiki' ...

, the current city area was part of the

Hizen Province was an old province of Japan in the area of the Saga and Nagasaki prefectures. It was sometimes called , with Higo Province. Hizen bordered on the provinces of Chikuzen and Chikugo. The province was included in Saikaidō. It did not incl ...

. In 1591, on the coast of the northern part of the city (formerly the town of Chinzei),

Nagoya Castle is a Japanese castle located in Nagoya, Japan. Nagoya Castle was constructed by the Owari Domain in 1612 during the Edo period on the site of an earlier castle of the Oda clan in the Sengoku period. Nagoya Castle was the heart of one of the ...

was constructed. The following year, it became the location from which the

Imjin War The Imjin River ( in South Korea) or Rimjin River ( in North Korea) is the 7th largest river in Korea. It flows from north to south, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, near the Yellow Sea. The rive ...

was launched by

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

. In the middle of 1593,

Terazawa Hirotaka (1563 – May 18, 1633) was a Japanese '' daimyō'' of the early Edo period. Hirotaka was the builder of Karatsu Castle. He was a retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, became lord of Karatsu in 1595. In 1598, he abandoned his original castle of Nago ...

created the Karatsu Domain and began governing it. In 1602, replacing Nagoya Castle,

Karatsu Castle is a Japanese castle located in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It is a ''hirayamajiro'', a castle built on a plain rather than a hill or mountain. At the end of the Edo period, Karatsu castle was home to the Ogasawara clan, ''daimyō'' of Kara ...

was constructed in what is now the heart of Karatsu. The tower of Karatsu Castle was built in 1966 . * 1889-04-01 - The modern municipal system was established. The current city region is occupied by 1 town (Karatsu), and 19 villages (Hamasaki, Irino, Kagami, Karatsu, Kirigo, Kitahata, Kuri, Kyūragi, Minato, Mitsushima, Nagoya, Nanayama, Ōchi, Ōmura, Onizuka, Sashi, Uchiage and Yobuko). * 1896-07-28 - Ōmura was renamed Tamashima. * 1922-07-01 - Hamasaki was elevated to town status. * 1922-11-01 - Nagoya changes the

kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequ ...

of its name. * 1924-01-01 - Mitsushima was incorporated into Karatsu Town. * 1928-08-01 - Yobuko was elevated to town status. * 1931-02-01 - Karatsu Village was incorporated into Karatsu Town. * 1932-01-01 - Karatsu Town was elevated to city status. * 1935-09-01 - Sashi and Ōchi both were elevated to town status. * 1941-11-03 - Sashi was incorporated into Karatsu. * 1952-05-03 - Kyūragi was elevated to town status. * 1954-11-01 - Kagami, Kuri, Minato and Onizuka were all incorporated into Karatsu. * 1956-09-30 - Hamasaki and Tamashima were merged to create the town of Hamasaki-Tamashima; and Nagoya and Uchiage were merge to create the town of Chinzei. * 1958-11-01 - Kirigo was split and its parts were incorporated into Karatsu and Irino (respectively), and Irino was elevated to town status and was renamed Hizen. * 1966-11-01 - Hamasaki-Tamashima was renamed Hamatama. * 2005-01-01 - Karatsu merged with Chinzei, Hamatama, Hizen, Kitahata, Kyūragi, Ōchi and Yobuko to retain the name Karatsu. * 2006-01-01 - Nanayama was incorporated into Karatsu.

Culture and tourism

The graceful

stands watch over this

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

town. Karatsu is famous for its

Karatsu Kunchi Karatsu Kunchi (唐津くんち; the suffix "kunchi" simply meaning festival) is a Japanese festival that takes place annually in the city of Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, on Japan's island of Kyūshū. About The festival, which begins on the e ...

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

, which runs annually from November 2 to November 4 and is visited by approximately 500,000 visitors from all over Japan. The festival consists of 14 hikiyama (floats made of many layers of paper mache) being carried around the city's narrow streets to calls of "Enya!". Some hikiyama members say "Yoisa!". This accompaniment is one of the

100 Soundscapes of Japan In 1996, as part of its efforts to combat noise pollution and to protect and promote protection of the environment, the Ministry of the Environment designated the . There were 738 submissions received from all over the country and the 100 "best" wer ...

. Regularly during Karatsu Kunchi, people in this town open their homes to friends and strangers to eat and drink; the primary focus is enjoying food, beer, and shochu, and having lively conversation. In between

Karatsu Station is a railway station in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu and is on the Karatsu and Chikuhi lines. It is the main station of Karatsu City. Lines *JR Kyushu **Chikuhi Line **Karatsu Line Layout It is an elevated sta ...

(唐津駅) and the main bus centre (大手口バスセンター) is a 170-metre arcade containing many small shops that specialize in Karatsu Kunchi ''

omiyage A souvenir (), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and transported home by the traveler as a m ...

'', and the Korean-influenced local pottery which are called "

Karatsu ware is a style of Japanese pottery produced traditionally in and around Karatsu, Saga Prefecture. History Karatsu has been a hub of foreign commerce and trade since ancient times, and a center of pottery production since the Azuchi-Momoyama per ...

" since they refer to Japanese ceramic wares of Korean origin. The actual date of production of the 'Karatsu Yaki' is believed to have begun being produced sometime "during the first half of the 16th century in the late

Muromachi The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...

period."Britannica, Micropædia, 15th edition, p.740 Museums in Karatsu include

Kawamura Art Museum was established in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, Japan, in 1990. The collection includes twenty works by Aoki Shigeru as well as paintings by Kuroda Seiki, Wada Eisaku, and Yamashita Shintarō. Temporary exhibitions are also mounted. In 2014 th ...

, Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum, and

Matsurokan The is a museum located in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, Japan, dedicated to the , a National Historic Site acclaimed as "Japan's first paddy". See also * Yayoi period * Saga Prefectural Museum * List of Historic Sites of Japan (Saga) * Karatsu Ca ...

, and shrines, Kagami Jinja.

Yobuko

The former town of Yobuko merged with Karatsu on January 1, 2005. Yobuko is famed for its fresh squid, Ika (烏賊) (いか） in Japanese, which is offered

sashimi is a Japanese delicacy consisting of fresh raw fish or meat sliced into thin pieces and often eaten with soy sauce. Origin The word ''sashimi'' means "pierced body", i.e. " 刺身" = ''sashimi'', where 刺し = ''sashi'' (pierced, stu ...

style, or it can be eaten while the squid is

still alive "Still Alive" is a song featured in the closing credits of the 2007 video game ''Portal''. It was composed and arranged by Jonathan Coulton and was performed by Ellen McLain, who voiced the ''Portal'' antagonist and subject of the song, GLaD ...

. Yobuko also attracts local tourists, who come to see the Yobuko Big Bridge (呼子大橋). Yobuko has a festival known as Yobuko Tsunahiki (呼子大綱引), or the Yobuko Tug of War, which takes place annually on the first Saturday and Sunday of June. The event involves a big tug-o-war between two factions in the town, the fishermen and farmers, and local legend says that if the hills faction wins, there will be a good harvest that year; and if the sea faction wins, there will be a good fishing harvest that year.

Beaches

Hamatama is one of the nicest beaches in

. It is located close to central Karatsu and can be accessed by the JR Chikuhi Line.

Sister cities

* Reihoku, Kumamoto, Japan *

Yangzhou Yangzhou, postal romanization Yangchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province (Suzhong), East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, ...

, China *

Yeosu Yeosu (; ''Yeosu-si''), historically also Yosu, and known to the Japanese as Reisui during the period when Korea was under Japanese rule, is a city located on the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula in South Jeolla Province, South Korea an ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Seogwipo Seogwipo () is the second-largest city on Jeju Island, settled on a rocky volcanic coastline in the southern part of Jeju Province, South Korea. In July 2006, Seogwipo's boundaries were expanded to include the entire southern half of Jeju island. ...

, South Korea

Education

Prefectural senior high schools

* Karatsu Commercial High School * Karatsu Higashi High School * Karatsu Minami High School * Karatsu Nishi High School * Karatsu Seisho High School * Karatsu Technical High School * Kyūragi High School

Municipal junior high and elementary schools

* Junior high schools: 25 * Elementary schools: 44

National vocational schools

* Karatsu Maritime Polytechnical School

Schools for the handicapped

* Saga Prefectural Hokubu School for the Handicapped

Transportation

Air

The closest

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

s are

Saga Airport is an airport in the Kawasoe area of Saga, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It also uses the unofficial name . Saga Airport is located on the edge of the Ariake Sea, in what is best called a polder, 35 minutes from JR Saga Station by bus. History T ...

and

Fukuoka Airport , formerly known as Itazuke Air Base, is an international and domestic airport located east of Hakata Station in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. Fukuoka Airport is the principal airport on the island of Kyushu and is the fourth busiest passenger ...

Rail

JR Kyūshū The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait b ...

Karatsu Line The is a regional railway line in Saga Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects in Saga City to in Karatsu City, both in Saga Prefecture, Japan. The line was originally constructed to carry ...

*** Kyūragi Station - Iwaya Station - Ōchi Station - Honmutabe Station - Yamamoto Station -

Onizuka Station is a railway station on the Karatsu Line operated by JR Kyushu located in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, Japan. Lines The station is served by the Karatsu Line and is located 36.6 km from the starting point of the line at . The local servic ...

Nishi-Karatsu Station is a railway station in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). This station is a terminal station of the Karatsu Line, including trains from the Chikuhi Line. Layout The station is ground level w ...

Chikuhi Line The is a railway line in Kyushu, Japan, connecting Meinohama Station in Fukuoka, Fukuoka (and via a subway through service, Fukuoka itself) to Karatsu Station in Karatsu, Saga, and from Yamamoto Station in Karatsu to Imari Station in Imari, ...

(connected with the Fukuoka City Subway Kūkō Line) *** (from

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...

)

Hamasaki Station is a railway station in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu and is on the Chikuhi Line. Lines The station is served by the Chikuhi Line and is located 35.4 km from the starting point of the line at . Rapid and local ...

Nijinomatsubara Station is a railway station in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu and is on the Chikuhi Line. The station is set within the Nijinomatsubara pine forest, which gives it its name. Lines The station is served by the Chikuhi Line ...

- Higashi-Karatsu Station - Watada Station -

*** (to

) Honmutabe Station - Hizen-Kubo Station -

Nishi-Ōchi Station is a railway station on the Chikuhi Line of Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu), located in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, Japan. Lines The station is served by the western section of the Chikuhi Line and is 6.6 km from the starting point of th ...

- Sari Station

Road

Expressways Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. *Limited-access road A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limi ...

: ** Nishi-Kyūshū Expressway *

National highways National Highways, formerly the Highways Agency and later Highways England, is a government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving motorways and major A roads in England. It also sets highways standards used by all f ...

: ** Route 202 ** Route 203 ** Route 204 ** Route 323 ** Route 382 * Major Prefectural roads: ** Karatsu-Yobiko Route 23 ** Imari-Hatagawachi-Kyūragi Route 32 ** Karatsu-Hizen Route 33 ** Kyūragi-Fuji Route 37 ** Ōchi-Yamauchi Route 38 ** Hamatama-Ōchi Route 40 ** Hizen-Yobiko Route 47 ** Karatsu-Kitahata Route 50 ** Yamamoto-Hatatsu Route 52

Notable people

Ken Hisatomi Ken Hisatomi (久富賢, born September 29, 1990) is a Japanese football player who plays as a midfielder for Vonds Ichihara. Career On 5 December 2013, Hisatomi was selected as Fujieda MYFC's player of the 2013 season by a fan blog. Club stat ...

(

Footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugb ...

) *

Takeshi Kamura is a Japanese badminton player. He was selected to join the national team in 2013 and retired in 2021. Kamura was part of the national team that won the 2014 Thomas Cup. He captured his first Superseries title at the 2016 Hong Kong Open, and re ...

(

Badminton player Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...

)

In popular culture

Karatsu is the setting for two manga and anime series, '' Yuri on Ice'' and ''

Zombieland Saga is an anime television series produced by MAPPA, Avex Pictures and Cygames. The series aired in Japan between October and December 2018. A second season titled ''Zombie Land Saga Revenge'' aired between April and June 2021. An anime fi ...

''.

References

External links

Karatsu City official website

* {{Authority control Cities in Saga Prefecture Port settlements in Japan Populated coastal places in Japan