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Template:Nihongo is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu.<ref>Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Fukuoka-ken" in Template:Google books.</ref> Saga Prefecture has a population of roughly 780,000 and has a geographic area of Template:Convert. Saga Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northeast and Nagasaki Prefecture to the southwest.

Saga is the capital and largest city of Saga Prefecture, with other major cities including Karatsu, Tosu, and Imari.Template:Sfnp Saga Prefecture is located in the northwest of Kyūshū covering an isthmus-like area extending between the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea.Template:Sfnp Saga Prefecture's western region is known for the production of ceramics and porcelain, particularly in the towns of Karatsu, Imari, and Arita.

HistoryEdit

Template:See also

File:YoshinogariIseki.jpg
A reconstruction of a Yayoi period building at the Yoshinogari site

In ancient times, the area composed by Nagasaki Prefecture and Saga Prefecture was called Hizen Province.Template:Sfnp The current name dates from the Meiji Restoration. Rice farming culture has prospered here since ancient times, and vestiges can be seen at the ruins of Nabatake in Karatsu and the Yoshinogari site in Yoshinogari.

Feudal periodEdit

From the Kamakura period to the Muromachi period, 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 called the Matsuratō. Upon entering the Sengoku period, the Ryūzōji clan expanded their control to include all of Hizen and Chikugo Provinces, and part of Higo and Chikuzen Provinces. After the death of daimyō Ryūzōji Takanobu, Nabeshima Naoshige took control of the political situation, and by 1607 all of the Ryūzōji clan's domain was under the control of the Nabeshima clan.

In the Edo period 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 (唐津藩 Karatsu-han) and two territories of the Tsushima-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 defending Nagasaki was increasing and, difficult from the start, the financial situation was worsened by the great Kyōhō famine and the Siebold Typhoon of 1828. Due to the large area of reclaimed land from the Ariake Sea, arable land was increased 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 strove to set right the domain's financial affairs, reduce the number of government officials, and encourage local industry such as Arita porcelain, 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 and models of steam locomotives.

After the Boshin War, many people from Saga Domain assisted in the Meiji Restoration. In the Meiji era the modernization of coal mines in Kishima and Higashimatsuura districts, among others, progressed bolstered by the construction of railroads.

TimelineEdit

File:Eto Shimpei at Saga Rebellion.jpg
Eto Shimpei in Saga. Woodblock print from Tokyo Nichinichi Shimbun, 1874.

GeographyEdit

Kyushu's prefecture, Saga, is located on the northwest corner of the island, bordered by the Genkai Sea and the Tsushima Strait to the north and the Ariake 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 of Saga and Karatsu, 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.

Geographical featuresEdit

PlainsEdit

  • Saga Plains

MountainsEdit

  • Sefuri Mountains, Tara Mountains
  • 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)

Rivers and lakesEdit

  • 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

SeasEdit

PeninsulasEdit

  • Higashimatsuura Peninsula, part of Kitamatsuura Peninsula

IslandsEdit

  • Genkai Sea: Takashima, Kashiwajima, Ogawajima, Kakarajima, Matsushima, Madarajima, Kabeshima, Mukushima, Iroha Islands<ref name=info-center>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Ariake Sea: Okinoshima

ForestsEdit

  • Niji-no-Matsubara<ref name=info-center/>

CavesEdit

  • Nanatsugama Caves<ref name=info-center/>

Land useEdit

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: 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 and Hachimandake, Kawakami-Kinryū, Kurokamiyama, Sefuri-Kitayama, Taradake, and Tenzan Prefectural Natural Parks.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

ClimateEdit

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

MunicipalitiesEdit

Template:See also

File:Map of Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
Map of Saga Prefecture showing municipal boundaries.
Template:Legend0 Template:Legend0

As of October 1, 2007, there are 10 cities, six districts, and 10 towns 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.

CitiesEdit

Ten cities are located in Saga Prefecture:

Name Area (km2) Population Map
Rōmaji Kanji
File:Flag of Imari, Saga.svg Imari 伊万里市 254.99 54,907 File:Imari in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Kanzaki Saga.svg Kanzaki 神埼市 125.01 31,981 File:Kanzaki in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Karatsu, Saga.svg Karatsu 唐津市 487.59 117,663 File:Karatsu in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Kashima, Saga.svg Kashima 鹿島市 112.1 30,159 File:Kashima in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Ogi, Saga.svg Ogi 小城市 95.85 45,638 File:Ogi in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Saga, Saga.svg Saga (capital) 佐賀市 431.84 232,736 File:Saga in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Takeo, Saga.svg Takeo 武雄市 195.44 48,845 File:Takeo in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Taku, Saga.svg Taku 多久市 96.93 19,202 File:Taku in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Tosu, Saga.svg Tosu 鳥栖市 71.73 72,755 File:Tosu in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Ureshino, Saga.svg Ureshino 嬉野市 126.51 26,937 File:Ureshino in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg

TownsEdit

These are the towns in each district:

Name Area (km2) Population District Map
Rōmaji Kanji
File:Flag of Arita, Saga.svg Arita 有田町 65.85 18,989 Nishimatsuura District File:Arita in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Genkai, Saga.svg Genkai 玄海町 36 5,855 Higashimatsuura District File:Genkai in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Kamimine Saga.svg Kamimine 上峰町 12.79 9,589 Miyaki District File:Kamimine in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Kiyama, Saga.svg Kiyama 基山町 22.12 17,398 Miyaki District File:Kiyama in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Kohoku, Saga.svg Kōhoku 江北町 24.48 9,524 Kishima District File:Kohoku in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Miyaki, Saga.svg Miyaki みやき町 51.89 25,534 Miyaki District File:Miyaki in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Omachi, Saga.svg Ōmachi 大町町 11.46 6,680 Kishima District File:Omachi in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Shiroishi, Saga.svg Shiroishi 白石町 99.46 23,606 Kishima District File:Shiroishi in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Tara, Saga.svg Tara 太良町 74.2 9,125 Fujitsu District File:Tara in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg
File:Flag of Yoshinogari, Saga.svg Yoshinogari 吉野ヶ里町 43.94 16,117 Kanzaki District File:Yoshinogari in Saga Prefecture Ja.svg

MergersEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

Metropolitan areasEdit

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

EconomyEdit

Agriculture, forestry, 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 (sticky rice) and greenhouse mandarin 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 of South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore (19.9%). Imports come principally from North America (40.6%), the ASEAN nations (23.3%), and the People's Republic of China (12.2%).

DemographicsEdit

File:Saga prefecture population pyramid in 2020.svg
Saga prefecture population pyramid in 2020

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.

EducationEdit

UniversitiesEdit

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TransportationEdit

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AirEdit

RailEdit

Major stations in the prefecture include Saga Station, Tosu Station, Karatsu Station and Imari Station. The new Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen line stops at the Takeo-Onsen Station.

RoadEdit

CultureEdit

Arita, Imari and Karatsu 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.

LanguageEdit

Saga-ben (Saga dialect) is Saga's own variation of Japanese.

FestivalsEdit

Balloon FiestaEdit

The Saga International Balloon Fiesta 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.Template:Citation needed

Karatsu KunchiEdit

The Karatsu Kunchi 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 GatalympicsEdit

The Kashima Gatalympics 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 FestivalEdit

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.

SportsEdit

Sports teamsEdit

Teams listed below are based in Saga Prefecture.

Football (soccer)

Volleyball

Basketball

Baseball

TourismEdit

Karatsu, with its fine castle, is a tourist destination in Saga. The remains of a Yayoi village in Yoshinogari also attract large numbers of sightseers. Another place to visit is Yūtoku Inari Shrine, one of Japan's three biggest Inari shrines.

The Saga prefecture helped sponsor the 2018 anime Zombie 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.

Notable peopleEdit

Template:More citations needed section

  • Comedian and J-pop singer Hanawa became famous for comically singing about Saga Prefecture and its oddities.
  • Former TV personality Masashi Tashiro was born in Saga Prefecture.
  • World War II fighter ace Saburō Sakai was born in Saga Prefecture.
  • Actress and J-pop singer Yasuko Matsuyuki and her younger brother, J-pop/rock singer Yuna Katsuki (of Lazy Knack and Red), are from Saga city.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Seven Wise Men of SagaEdit

"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, and continued into the Meiji Restoration. Even today, this era shines impressively in Saga's history.

See alsoEdit

NotesEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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