Saga is the capital and largest city of Saga Prefecture, with other major cities includingKaratsu,Tosu, andImari.[4] Saga Prefecture is located in the northwest of Kyūshū covering anisthmus-like area extending between theSea of Japan and theAriake Sea.[4] Saga Prefecture's western region is known for the production ofceramics andporcelain, particularly in the towns of Karatsu, Imari, andArita.
In theEdo period this area was called theSaga 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 theKaratsu Domain (唐津藩Karatsu-han) and two territories of theTsushima-Fuchū Domain (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. The cost of defendingNagasaki was increasing and, difficult from the start, the financial situation was worsened by the greatKyōhō famine and theSiebold Typhoon of 1828. Due to the large area of reclaimed land from theAriake Sea, arable land was increased significantly and by the 1840s the annualkoku of Saga Domain increased to about 670,000, twice that of 200 years before.
Around the middle of the 19th century,Naomasa Nabeshima strove to set right the domain's financial affairs, reduce the number of government officials, and encourage local industry such asArita porcelain,green tea, and coal. Also, thanks to the proximity of the international port of Nagasaki, new technologies were introduced from overseas, such as thereverberatory furnace and models ofsteam locomotives.
1954: During theGreat Showa Merger the cities of Tosu,Imari, Takeo,Kashima andTaku 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.
Kyushu's prefecture, Saga, is located on the northwest corner of the island, bordered by theGenkai Sea and theTsushima Strait to the north and theAriake Sea 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 ofSaga andKaratsu, 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.
Mount Kyōga (1,076 m, the highest point in Saga),Mount Sefuri (1,056 m), Tenzan (1,046 m), Taradake (996 m), Mount Ihara (962 m), Kinzan (957 m), Raizan (955 m), Mount Hagane (900 m)
Map of Saga Prefecture showing municipal boundaries. City TownSaga CityKaratsuTara Town
As of October 1, 2007, there are 10cities, sixdistricts, and 10towns 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 ofSefuri merged with the city ofKanzaki, leaving Saga with no more villages.
Agriculture,forestry, and coastalfisheries form a large portion of the prefectural economy. Regional agricultural specialties include Saga beef, onions, and strawberries. The prefecture is the largest producer ofmochigome (sticky rice) andgreenhousemandarin oranges 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 ofSouth Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong andSingapore (19.9%). Imports come principally from North America (40.6%), theASEAN nations (23.3%), and the People's Republic of China (12.2%).
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.
TheKaratsu Kunchi is held at the beginning of November inKaratsu City. This is Saga's largest festival and attracts around 500,000 visitors every year.
TheKashima Gatalympics are held every May–June in the city ofKashima. 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.
TheImari Ton-Ten-Ton Festival is held for 3 days every year near the end of October. Located inImari 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 theDanjiri. The name "Ton-Ten-Ton" represents the sound of drums used in the festival.
Karatsu, with its finecastle, is a tourist destination in Saga. The remains of aYayoi village inYoshinogari also attract large numbers of sightseers. Another place to visit isYūtoku Inari Shrine, one of Japan's three biggest Inari shrines.
The Saga prefecture helped sponsor the 2018animeZombie Land Saga, 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.
"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 theTokugawa shogunate, and continued into theMeiji Restoration. Even today, this era shines impressively in Saga's history.
Lord Naomasa Nabeshima, feudal lord of theNabeshima clan, helped to bring about the development of Saga through introducing European technology and culture.
Etō Shinpei, also once a Minister of Legal Affairs, became a Diet member and created the foundation for Japan's judicial system.
Ōki Takatō 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.
Soejima Taneomi served the roles ofDiet member, Foreign Minister, Minister of Domestic Affairs and was well known for his Chinese Poetry and talented writing skills.
