is a prefecture of

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 north ...

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 The square mile (abbreviated as sq mi and sometimes as mi2)Rowlett, Russ (September 1, 2004) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 22, 2012. is an imperial and US unit of measure for area. One square mile is an are ...

). Saga Prefecture borders

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, 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 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...

to the northeast and

Nagasaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 (1 June 2020) and has a geographic area of 4,130 km2 (1,594 sq mi). Nagasaki Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the northeast. N ...

to the southwest. Saga is the capital and largest city of Saga Prefecture, with other major cities including

Karatsu is a city located in Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Its name, formed from the Japanese word roots 唐 ''kara'' (China, or continental East Asia in general), and 津 ''tsu'' (port), signifies its historical importance as a ...

, Tosu, and

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 porcela ...

. Saga Prefecture is located in the northwest of Kyūshū covering an

isthmus An isthmus (; ; ) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea counterpart of an isthmu ...

-like area extending between the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

and the

Ariake Sea The is a body of salt water surrounded by Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto Prefectures, all of which lie on the island of Kyūshū in Japan. It is the largest bay in Kyūshū. Its deepest point is only about 50 meters (165 ft) deep, and ext ...

. Saga Prefecture's western region is known for the production of

ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

and

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...

, particularly in the towns of Karatsu, Imari, and

Arita Arita may refer to: *Arita (surname) *Arita, Saga, a town in Saga Prefecture, Japan :* Arita ware, a kind of Japanese porcelain made in the area around the town * ''Arita'' (skipper), a genus of butterflies in the grass skipper family *Arita, a br ...

History

In ancient times, the area composed by

and Saga Prefecture was called

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 ...

. The current name dates from the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

. Rice farming culture has prospered here since ancient times, and vestiges can be seen at the ruins of Nabatake in

and the

Yoshinogari site is the name of a large and complex Yayoi archaeological site in Yoshinogari and Kanzaki in Saga Prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan. According to the Yayoi chronology established by pottery seriations in the 20th century, Yoshinogari dates to between ...

in Yoshinogari.

Feudal period

Romon gate and Honden of Yutoku Inari Shrine

From the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

to the

Muromachi period 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 ...

, it is thought that over 100 feudal clans existed. Also exerting great influence during this time was a samurai clan operating along the

Genkai Sea The is a body of water that comprises the southwestern tip of the Sea of Japan and borders the northern coasts of Fukuoka and Saga is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game ...

called the Matsuratō. Upon entering the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

, the

Ryūzōji clan was a Japanese kin group which traces its origin to Hizen Province on the island of Kyushu. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Hōki"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 802. History The clan was founded by Fujiwara no Suekiyo in 1186. The clan was a ...

expanded their control to include all of Hizen and

Chikugo Province is the name of a former province of Japan in the area that is today the southern part of Fukuoka Prefecture on Kyūshū. It was sometimes called or , with Chikuzen Province. Chikugo was bordered by Hizen, Chikuzen, Bungo, and Higo Provin ...

s, and part of Higo and

Chikuzen Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today part of Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyūshū. It was sometimes called or , with Chikugo Province. Chikuzen bordered Buzen, Bungo, Chikugo, and Hizen Provinces. History The original provinci ...

s. After the death of ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

Ryūzōji Takanobu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' in Hizen Province during the Sengoku period. Takanobu was the head of the Ryūzōji clan. Biography Takanobu was the grandson of Ryūzōji Iekane (1454-1546). Ryūzōji Takanobu is known for expanding his clan's ho ...

Nabeshima Naoshige was a warlord of the Sengoku and early Edo periods and progenitor of the Nabeshima lords of the Saga Domain. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Nabeshima Naoshige"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 680. Naoshige was the second son of . His moth ...

took control of the political situation, and by 1607 all of the Ryūzōji clan's domain was under the control of the

Nabeshima clan is a Japanese samurai kin group. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Nabeshima", ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p.38 retrieved 2013-5-5. History The clan controlled Saga Do ...

. In the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

this area was called the Saga Domain (佐賀藩 ''Saga-han''), and it included three sub-domains: the Hasunoike, Ogi and Kashima Domains. Also within the current borders of Saga Prefecture during this time were the

Karatsu Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It is associated with Hizen Province in modern-day Saga Prefecture.

(唐津藩 ''Karatsu-han'') and two territories of the

Tsushima-Fuchū Domain , also called the Tsushima domain, was a Han (Japan), domain of Japan in the Edo period. It is associated with Tsushima Province on Tsushima Island in modern-day Nagasaki Prefecture. In the han system, Tsushima was a politics, political and Econ ...

(対馬府中藩 ''Tsushimafuchū-han''). Saga Domain and its sub-domains continued to be ruled by the Nabeshima clan, its various illegitimate family lineages and members of the former Ryūzōji clan, and politically the area was relatively stable. However, the cost of defending

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...

was increasing and, difficult from the start, the financial situation was worsened by the great Kyōhō famine and the Siebold Typhoon of 1828. Nevertheless, due to the large area of reclaimed land from the

arable land was able to increase significantly and by the 1840s the annual koku of Saga Domain increased to about 670,000, twice that of 200 years before. Around the middle of the 19th century,

Naomasa Nabeshima Naomasa (written: 直政, 直正, 直方, 尚正 or 尚政) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese samurai *, Japanese samurai *, Japanese ''daimyō'' *, Japanese ''daimyō'' *, Japanese ''daimyō'' * ...

strove to set right the domain's financial affairs, reduce the number of government officials, and encourage local industry such as

Arita porcelain is a broad term for Japanese porcelain made in the area around the town of Arita, in the former Hizen Province, northwestern Kyūshū island. It is also known as after the wider area of the province. This was the area where the great majori ...

, green tea, and coal. Also, thanks to the proximity of the international port of Nagasaki, new technologies were introduced from overseas, such as the

reverberatory furnace A reverberatory furnace is a metallurgical or process furnace that isolates the material being processed from contact with the fuel, but not from contact with combustion gases. The term ''reverberation'' is used here in a generic sense of ''re ...

and models of

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

s. After the Boshin War, many people from Saga Domain assisted in the

. In the Meiji era the modernization of coal mines in Kishima and Higashimatsuura districts, among others, progressed bolstered by the construction of railroads.

Timeline

* 6th century BC (end of the Jōmon period): Estimated date of the Nabatake ruins in

* 1st century BC (middle of the

Yayoi period The started at the beginning of the Neolithic in Japan, continued through the Bronze Age, and towards its end crossed into the Iron Age. Since the 1980s, scholars have argued that a period previously classified as a transition from the Jōmon ...

): Villages flourished at what is now the

* 665: After losing the Battle of Baekgang, Kii Castle (in present-day Kiyama) amassed its defenses to protect Dazaifu. * 733:

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 ...

Fudoki are ancient reports on provincial culture, geography, and oral tradition presented to the reigning monarchs of Japan, also known as local gazetteers. They contain agricultural, geographical, and historical records as well as mythology and ...

created. * 1274:

Battle of Bun'ei The , or Bun'ei Campaign, also known as the First Battle of Hakata Bay, was the first attempt by the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China to invade Japan. After conquering the Japanese settlements on Tsushima and Iki islands, Kublai Khan's fleet ...

, the first invasion in the

Mongol invasions of Japan Major military efforts were taken by Kublai Khan of the Yuan dynasty in 1274 and 1281 to conquer the Japanese archipelago after the submission of the Korean kingdom of Goryeo to vassaldom. Ultimately a failure, the invasion attempts are of m ...

* 1281:

Battle of Kōan The , also known as the Second Battle of Hakata Bay, was the second attempt by the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China to invade Japan after their failed attempt seven years earlier at the Battle of Bun'ei. In the summer of 1281, the Yuan invaded ...

, the second invasion in the Mongol invasions of Japan * 1591: Construction of Nagoya Castle. After the

Japanese invasions of Korea 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 ...

the castle fell in 1598. * 1602: Construction of

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 ...

and

Saga Castle is a Japanese castle located in Saga City, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It is a ''hiraijirō'', a castle built on a plains rather than a hill or mountain, and is surrounded by a wall rather than being built above a stone base. Saga castle was home ...

. * 1607: Control of Saga Domain moved from the

to the

. * 1771:

Nijinomatsubara is a 360-year-old pine forest in Karatsu, Saga. It has a width of 400 - 700 metres, a length of about 4 km, and a total area of 240 hectares. It was also referred as , however this name is uncommon today. The forest was originally plant ...

Uprising * 1781: Establishment of Kōdōkan, the Saga

Han school The was an educational institution in the Edo period of Japan, originally established to educate children of '' daimyō'' (feudal lords) and their retainers in the domains outside of the capital. These institutions were also known as ''hanga ...

. * 1828: Heavy damage from the Siebold Typhoon, deaths estimated at over 10,000. * 1871, July 14: Abolition of the han system. All of the

han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

became

prefectures A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

. * 1871, November 14: The prefectures of Saga, Hasuike, Ogi, Kashima, Karatsu and part of Tsushima merged to form one prefecture, Imari Prefecture. * 1872, May 29: Imari Prefecture renamed Saga Prefecture. * 1874, February:

Saga Rebellion The was an 1874 uprising in Kyūshū against the new Meiji government of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Saga no ran" in . It was led by Etō Shinpei and Shima Yoshitake in their native domain of Hizen. Background Following the 18 ...

. * 1876, April 18: Incorporated into Mizuma Prefecture. * 1876, May and June: Parts of Mizuma Prefecture transferred to

. * 1876, August 21: Mizuma Prefecture abolished. Remaining parts incorporated into Nagasaki Prefecture. * 1883: Saga Prefecture re-established as an independent prefecture, separated from Nagasaki Prefecture. * 1889, April 1: The city of Saga is founded. * 1891: The Kyushu Railroad Nagasaki Line opens, beginning with a section from Tosu to Saga. * 1895: Opening of railroad from Saga to Takeo. * 1897: Opening of railroad from Takeo to Haiki. * 1903: Opening of railroad from Saga to Nishi-Karatsu. * 1932, January 1: The city of

is founded. * 1935: The

Japanese National Railways The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pref ...

Saga Line opens. * 1954: During the Great Showa Merger the cities of Tosu,

, Takeo, Kashima and

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 Al ...

are formed. At this point there are 7 cities, 8 districts, 18 towns and 35 villages in Saga Prefecture. * 1972: With the closing of the Nishiki coal mine, all coal mines in Saga are closed. * 1975: The

Genkai Nuclear Power Plant The is located in the town of Genkai in the Higashimatsuura District in the Saga Prefecture in Japan. It is owned and operated by the Kyūshū Electric Power Company. The reactors were all built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and are of the 2 ...

begins operation. * 1987: The Japanese National Railways Saga Line closes. * 1992: The Yoshinogari History Park opens to the public. * 1998: The

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 ...

opens in Kawasoe, in what is now the city of Saga. * 2005: As a part of the Great Heisei Merger various municipalities are reorganized. ** January 1:

and Shiroishi. ** March 1:

Ogi Ogi may refer to: People * Adolf Ogi (born 1942), Swiss politician *, Japanese football player *, Japanese actress and politician *Darko Ostojić (born 1965), nicknamed Ogi, Bosnian musician and actor *, Japanese football player *Ogi Ogas (born 19 ...

and Miyaki. ** October 1: Saga. * 2006: The Great Heisei Merger continues. ** January 1:

and Ureshino. ** March 1: Takeo, Yoshinogari, and

. ** March 20: Kanzaki. * 2007, October 1: The towns of Higashiyoka, Kawasoe and

Kubota Kubota machine is a Japanese multinational corporation based in Osaka. It was established in 1890. The corporation produces many products including tractors and other agricultural machinery, construction equipment, engines, vending machines, p ...

merge with the city of Saga. * 2011, March 12: The

Kyushu Shinkansen The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed railway network. It is an extension of the San'yō Shinkansen from Honshu connecting the city of Fukuoka (Hakata Station) in the north of Japan's Kyushu Island to the city of Kagoshima ( Kagoshima-Chuo St ...

opens.

Geography

Kyushu's prefecture, Saga, is located on the northwest corner of the island, bordered by the

and the

Tsushima Strait or Eastern Channel (동수로 Dongsuro) is a channel of the Korea Strait, which lies between Korea and Japan, connecting the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, and the East China Sea. The strait is the channel to the east and southeast of Tsushima ...

to the north and the

to the south. Saga's proximity to mainland Asia has made it an important gateway for the transmission of culture and trade throughout Japanese history. Largely rural outside of the two largest cities of Saga and

, agricultural and forested lands comprise over 68% of the total prefectural land area. There are six prefectural parks and one quasi-national park in Saga. * Northernmost point: Enuonohana, Kakarajima,

– * Easternmost point: Iida-machi, Tosu – * Southernmost point: Ōurakō, Tara – * Westernmost point: Ōse, Madarashima, Karatsu –

Geographical features

Plains

*Saga Plains

Mountains

* Sefuri Mountains, Tara Mountains * Mount Kyōga (1,076 m, the highest point in Saga),

Mount Sefuri is a peak of the Sefuri Mountains, which are located on the border of Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, and Kanzaki, Saga Prefecture, Japan. Outline This mountain is the tallest peak of the Sefuri Mountain range between Fukuoka Prefecture and Saga ...

(1,056 m), Tenzan (1,046 m), Taradake (996 m ), Mount Ihara (962 m), Kinzan (957 m), Raizan (955 m), Mount Hagane (900 m)

Rivers and lakes

* Chikugo River (15.5 km in Saga), Kase River (57.5 km), Matsuura River (45.3 km), Rokkaku River (43.6 km) * Hokuzan Dam, Kase River Dam

Seas

East China Sea The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated b ...

, Isahaya Bay *

, Karatsu Bay, Imari Bay,

Peninsulas

* Higashimatsuura Peninsula, part of Kitamatsuura Peninsula

Islands

* Genkai Sea: Takashima, Kashiwajima, Ogawajima, Kakarajima, Matsushima, Madarajima, Kabeshima, Mukushima, Iroha Islands * Ariake Sea: Okinoshima

Forests

* Niji-no-Matsubara

Caves

* Nanatsugama Caves

Land use

Total area: 2439.31 km² * Forest, rough lands: 49.2% – 1/3 of the national average. ** Forested area: 1096.9 km² – From 2000, 42nd in the country. *

Arable land Arable land (from the la, arabilis, "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for th ...

: 39.1% – 2 times the national average. * Residential: 6.8% – 1.4 times the national average. * Other: 4.9% – Roughly the same as the national average. As of March 31, 2008, 11% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the

Genkai Quasi-National Park is a Quasi-National Park on the Genkai coast of Fukuoka Prefecture, Saga Prefecture, and Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It was founded on June 1, 1956 and has an area of . See also * List of national parks of Japan and in Japan are place ...

and Hachimandake, Kawakami-Kinryū, Kurokamiyama, Sefuri-Kitayama, Taradake, and Tenzan Prefectural Natural Parks.

Climate

Saga Prefecture has a mild climate with an average temperature of about .

Municipalities

As of October 1, 2007, there are 10

cities 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 ...

, six districts, and 10

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Saga Prefecture, a total of 20 municipalities. As a part of the Great Heisei Merger, the number of municipalities has decreased since January 1, 2005. On March 20, 2006, the village of Sefuri merged with the city of Kanzaki, leaving Saga with no more villages.

Cities

Ten cities are located in Saga Prefecture:

Towns

These are the towns in each

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

Mergers

Metropolitan areas

*Saga **Saga, Taku, Ogi, Kanzaki *Karatsu-Higashimatsuura **Karatsu, Genkai *Tosu **Tosu, Kamimine, Kiyama, Yoshinogari, Miyaki *Kitō **Takeo, Kashima, Ureshino, Shiroishi, Ōmachi, Kōhoku, Tara

Economy

Agriculture,

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

, and coastal fisheries form a large portion of the prefectural economy. Regional agricultural specialties include Saga beef, onions, and strawberries. The prefecture is the largest producer of

mochigome Glutinous rice (''Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose ...

(sticky rice) and

greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of Transparent ceramics, transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic condit ...

mandarin orange The mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''), also known as the mandarin or mandarine, is a small citrus tree fruit. Treated as a distinct species of orange, it is usually eaten plain or in fruit salads. Tangerines are a group of orange-colou ...

s in Japan. According to 2002 figures, regional trade exports are focused primarily towards North America (29.3%), Western Europe (26.1%), and the Newly Industrializing Economies of

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 ...

, Taiwan, Hong Kong and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

(19.9%). Imports come principally from North America (40.6%), the

ASEAN ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...

nations (23.3%), and the People's Republic of China (12.2%).

Demographics

In 2002, the census recorded a population of 873,885 in Saga. Of these, 15.9% were aged 0–14, 62.7% were aged 15–64, and 21.4% were over 65 years old. There were 3,596 foreigners (0.4%) and 307 exchange students (0.03%) living in the prefecture.

Education

Universities

Saga University ; abbreviated as or , is a national university in Saga, Saga Prefecture, Japan. The university has five faculties with around 7,000 students. Its two campuses are in and . History The history of Saga University is complicated. The oldest Saga t ...

* Nishikyushu University * Nishikyushu University Junior College (former Saga Junior College) * Saga Women's Junior College * Kyushu Ryukoku Junior College * Saga Prefectural Agricultural College

Transportation

Air

Rail

Major stations in the prefecture include Saga Station,

Tosu Station Tosu or tOSU may refer to: Cities * Tosu, Russia, a ''selo'' (village) in Vilyuysky District, Sakha Republic * Tosu, Saga, a city in Japan ** Sagan Tosu, an association football club in Tosu, Saga ** Shin-Tosu Station, a railway station in Tosu, Sa ...

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 ...

and

Imari Station is a train station located in Imari City, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It is a transfer station between the JR Kyushu Chikuhi Line and the third-sector Matsuura Railway Nishi-Kyushu Line. Lines Imari is the western terminus of the western secti ...

. The new

line stop at the Shin-Tosu Station. *

JR Kyushu 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 St ...

** Chikuhi Line **

Kagoshima Main Line The is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) between Mojikō in Kitakyushu, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu. Until March 13, 2004, it extended 393 km between its ...

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 co ...

Nagasaki Main Line The , or simply Nagasaki Line, is a railway line owned by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) connecting Tosu Station in Saga Prefecture to Nagasaki Station in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. There is a separate branch of this line from Kikitsu S ...

Sasebo Line The is a railway line in Kyushu, Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Kōhoku Station in Kōhoku, Saga Prefecture to Sasebo Station in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture. It is part of the route connecting Sasebo wi ...

Matsuura Railway is a third-sector railway company in Nagasaki and Saga Prefecture in Japan. Lines The railway company operates the 93.8 km Nishi-Kyushu Line from in Saga Prefecture to in Nagasaki Prefecture, with 57 stations. Principal investors * Nag ...

Nishi-Kyūshū Line The is a Japanese railway line operated by the private railway operator Matsuura Railway, which connects Arita in Saga Prefecture with Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture. This is the westernmost railway line in Japan, with Tabira-Hiradoguchi Statio ...

* Amagi Railway ** Amagi Line

Road

Tollway A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or '' toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemente ...

s **

Nagasaki Expressway is one of the Expressways of Japan from Tosu to Nagasaki. It runs through the prefecture of Saga, and the southern half of the Nagasaki prefecture. The total length is 120.4 km. History * November 16, 1973, Tosu Interchange and Junctio ...

, Kyushu Expressway, Nishi-Kyūshū Expressway ** Nijō-Hamatama Road, Kyūragi-Taku Road, Mitsuse Tunnel *

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 34 The following highways are numbered 34: for a list of roads numbered N34 : see list of N34 roads. International * AH34, Asian Highway 34 * European route E34 Australia * Cox Peninsula Road (Northern Territory) * (Sydney) * Maroondah Highway (Vi ...

, Route 35 ** Route 202, Route 203,

Route 204 The following highways are numbered 204: Canada * Manitoba Provincial Road 204 * Newfoundland and Labrador Route 204 * Nova Scotia Route 204 * Prince Edward Island Route 204 * Quebec Route 204 China * China National Highway 204 Costa Rica ...

, Route 207, Route 263, Route 264, Route 323, Route 385,

Route 444 The following highways are numbered 444: Australia * Wilsons Promontory Road Canada *Manitoba Provincial Road 444 Japan * Japan National Route 444 United States * Interstate 444 (Unsigned highway, unsigned) * Louisiana Highway ...

, Route 498

Culture

and

are famous for the porcelain that is created there. The top porcelain houses in the country are located in these areas, including Imaemon Porcelain, Genemon Porcelain and Fukagawa Porcelain.

Language

Saga-ben (

Saga dialect The is a dialect of the Japanese language widely spoken in Saga Prefecture and some other areas, such as Isahaya. It is influenced by Kyushu dialect and Hichiku dialect. Saga-ben is further divided by accents centered on individual towns. The ...

) is Saga's own variation of Japanese.

Festivals

Balloon Fiesta

The

Saga International Balloon Fiesta The is held at the beginning of November every year in Saga Prefecture, Japan. In 2014 it took place between October 30 and November 3. The fiesta is held just outside Saga City, along the Kase River. It has grown from a gathering of 5 hot air ...

is held at the beginning of November every year just outside Saga City along the Kase River. This is a popular event and attracts competitors from all over the world.

Karatsu Kunchi

The

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 eve ...

is held at the beginning of November in Karatsu City. This is Saga's largest festival and attracts around 500,000 visitors every year.

Kashima Gatalympics

The

Kashima Gatalympics The Kashima Gatalympics is an event held in the mudflats of the Ariake Sea off Kashima city in Saga Prefecture, Japan. The event takes place every year at the end of May. Participants compete in novelty games such as the mud sumo tournament, the 2 ...

are held every May–June in the city of Kashima. This event involves playing a variety of sports in the mudflats of the Ariake Sea. The Gatalympics are not held if the weather is raining.

Imari Ton-Ten-Ton Festival

The Imari Ton-Ten-Ton Festival is held for 3 days every year near the end of October. Located in Imari City, the festival is one of the three great fighting festivals in Japan. In the festival a crashing battle takes place between the two huge portable shrines, the Ara-mikoshi and the Danjiri. The name "Ton-Ten-Ton" represents the sound of drums used in the festival.

Sports

Sports teams

Teams listed below are based in Saga Prefecture. Football (soccer) *

Sagan Tosu is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J1 League. The team is located in Tosu, Saga Prefecture. ''Sagan'' is a coined word with a couple of meanings behind it. One of its homophones is in Japanese. This symbolises ...

( Tosu) Volleyball *

Hisamitsu Springs is a women's volleyball team based in Kobe city, Hyogo and Tosu city, Saga, Japan. It plays in V.League 1. The club was founded in 1948. In July 2020 the team announced an official name change from "Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Springs" to "Hi ...

( Tosu) Basketball *

Saga Ballooners The Saga Ballooners is a professional basketball team that competes in the second division of the Japanese B.League. Coaches * Aljosa Bjekovic * Luis Guil Torres * Yuta Miyanaga Roster Notable players * Aljosa Bjekovic * Trey G ...

( Saga)

Tourism

Karatsu, with its fine castle, is a tourist destination in Saga. The remains of a

Yayoi The started at the beginning of the Neolithic in Japan, continued through the Bronze Age, and towards its end crossed into the Iron Age. Since the 1980s, scholars have argued that a period previously classified as a transition from the Jōmon p ...

village in Yoshinogari also attract large numbers of sightseers. Another place to visit is

Yūtoku Inari Shrine is a shrine located in Kashima City, Saga Prefecture. It is one of the most famous Inari shrines in Japan. History Dedicated to Inari, the ''kami'' whose messengers are foxes, it is the third largest of its kind in Japan. It was constructe ...

, one of Japan's three biggest Inari shrines. The Saga prefecture helped sponsor the 2018

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

Zombie Land 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 ...

'', which has attracted tourists to various locations showcased in the series, including the museum that doubles in the series as the girls' house and Drive-In Tori Chicken.

Notable people

* Comedian and

J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the ...

singer

Hanawa is a Japanese singer and comedian raised in Saga City. He plays the bass guitar. He rose to fame in Japan for a comical song about Saga Prefecture and its oddities. TV commercials * Yukiguni Maitake bean sprouts Sprouting is the natural ...

became famous for comically singing about Saga Prefecture and its oddities. * Former TV personality

Masashi Tashiro (born August 31, 1956) is a Japanese former television performer and a founding member of the band Rats & Star. Tashiro was a tenor singer for Rats & Star and later made a name for himself as a TV entertainer in Japan. He also directed a movie ...

was born in Saga Prefecture. * World War II fighter ace

Saburō Sakai was a Japanese naval aviator and flying ace (''"Gekitsui-O"'', ) of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Sakai had 28–64 aerial victories, including shared ones, according to official Japanese records, but his autobiography, ''Samura ...

was born in Saga Prefecture. * Actress and J-pop singer

Yasuko Matsuyuki is a Japanese actress and singer signed to Stardust Promotion. Biography Yasuko Matsuyuki was born in 1972 in Tosu, Saga. In 1989, while she was in high school, Matsuyuki won a Non-no fashion magazine contest. After graduating from Tosu Commer ...

and her younger brother, J-pop/rock singer Yuna Katsuki (of Lazy Knack and Red), are from Saga city.

The Seven Wise Men of Saga

"The Seven Wise Men of Saga" is the name given to these seven men from Saga, each of whom have made a significant contribution to the modernisation of Japan. Their contributions began in the last days of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

, and continued into the

. Even today, this era shines impressively in Saga's history. * Lord Naomasa Nabeshima, feudal lord of the

, helped to bring about the development of Saga through introducing European technology and culture. *

Sano Tsunetami Count was a Japanese statesman and founder of the Japanese Red Cross Society. His son, Admiral Sano Tsuneha, was a leading figure in the establishment of the Scout Association of Japan. Biography Sano was born in Hayatsue, Saga Domain (p ...

founded the

Japanese Red Cross The is the Japanese affiliate of the International Red Cross. The Imperial Family of Japan traditionally has supported the society, with the Empress as Honorary President and other imperial family members as vice presidents. Its headquarters i ...

. *

Shima Yoshitake was a samurai from Saga domain. He later became a chamberlain and later a governor for Akita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; " ...

contributed to the exploration of

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

. *

Soejima Taneomi Count was a diplomat and statesman during early Meiji period Japan. Life and career Soejima was born into a ''samurai'' family in Saga, in Hizen Province (present-day Saga Prefecture). His father was a teacher in the domain's school and a scho ...

served the roles of

Diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

member, Foreign Minister, Minister of Domestic Affairs and was well known for his Chinese Poetry and talented writing skills. *

Ōki Takatō , was a Japanese statesman during the early Meiji period. He was Governor of Tokyo in 1868 and a member of the Japanese Privy Council in 1889.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Ōki Takatō" in . Biography Ōki was born into a ''samurai ...

was Minister of Civil Affairs, Education and Legal Affairs, held the position of a Diet member and made considerable contributions to the establishment of the modern education system in Japan. *

Etō Shinpei was a Japanese statesman during the early Meiji period, remembered chiefly for his role in the unsuccessful Saga Rebellion. Early life and Meiji bureaucrat Etō was born into a crestless and poor samurai family in Yae (modern-day Saga), ...

, also once a Minister of Legal Affairs, became a Diet member and created the foundation for Japan's judicial system. *

Ōkuma Shigenobu Marquess was a Japanese statesman and a prominent member of the Meiji oligarchy. He served as Prime Minister of the Empire of Japan in 1898 and from 1914 to 1916. Ōkuma was also an early advocate of Western science and culture in Japan, and ...

served two terms as

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Sta ...

. He also established

Waseda University , mottoeng = Independence of scholarship , established = 21 October 1882 , type = Private , endowment = , president = Aiji Tanaka , city = Shinjuku , state = Tokyo , country = Japan , students = 47,959 , undergrad = 39,382 , postgrad ...

Notes

References

* *

External links

Saga City website
google translate available
Saga Prefecture website
Translation available
SagaJET website

*

Hagakure ''Hagakure'' (Kyūjitai: ; Shinjitai: ; meaning ''Hidden by the Leaves'' or ''Hidden Leaves''), or , is a practical and spiritual guide for a warrior, drawn from a collection of commentaries by the clerk Yamamoto Tsunetomo, former retainer to Nab ...

1716 by

Yamamoto Tsunetomo , Buddhist monastic name Yamamoto Jōchō (June 11, 1659 – November 30, 1719), was a samurai of the Saga Domain in Hizen Province under his lord Nabeshima Mitsushige. He became a Zen Buddhist priest and relayed his experiences, memories, ...

about

Bushidō is a moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. There are multiple bushido types which evolved significantly through history. Contemporary forms of bushido are still used in the social and economic organization of Japan. ...

(Samurai Moral Code) at Wikipedia {{coord, 33, 17, N, 130, 10, E, scale:500000, display=title Kyushu region Prefectures of Japan