is located in the northwest part of the island of
Kyūshū,
Japan. The western part of the
prefecture is a region famous for producing
ceramics and
porcelain, particularly the towns of
Karatsu,
Imari, and
Arita. The capital is the city of
Saga.
Geography
Kyūshū's smallest
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 through Japanese history. Largely rural outside of the two large cities of
Saga City and
Karatsu, agricultural and forested lands comprise over 68% of the total prefectural land area.
Main geographical features
★ Saga Plains
★ Higashimatsuura Peninsula
Mountains
★
Sefuri Mountains
★
Tara Mountains
★
★ Mount Kyōga (1,076 m), the highest point in Saga
★
★ Mount Sefuri (1,056 m)
★
★ Tenzan (1,046 m)
History
In ancient times the area composed by
Nagasaki Prefecture and
Saga Prefecture was called
Hizen. 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 Nabatakeiseki in
Karatsu and the
Yoshinogari site in
Yoshinogari.
Cities, Towns & Districts
Cities
Ten cities are located in Saga Prefecture:
Map of Saga Prefecture showing municipal boundries.
Towns
These are the towns in each
district:
ǂ Scheduled to be dissolved following mergers.
Mergers
A number of towns and villages in Saga have merged with larger neighboring cities, as part of the ongoing nation-wide process of
mergers and dissolution of municipalities.
Historical mergers
★ The Village of
Kirigo was divided into three parts at the turn of the year, from
31 December 1957-
1 January 1958. Two of these parts were absorbed into the Town of
Genkai, and the City of
Karatsu; the third was merged with the Village of Irino to form the Town of
Hizen. Both
Karatsu and
Hizen later became part of the new city of
Karatsu.
Contemporary mergers
★ On
January 1 2005 the towns of
Fukudomi,
Ariake, and
Shiroishi (all from
Kishima District) merged to form the new town of
Shiroishi.
★ On
January 1 2005 the city of
Karatsu, the towns of
Hamatama,
Kyuragi,
Ochi,
Hizen,
Chinzei and
Yobuko and the village of
Kitahata (all from
Higashimatsuura District) merged to form the new city of
Karatsu.
(Merger Information Page)
★ On
March 1 2005, the towns of
Ogi,
Ashikari,
Mikatsuki and
Ushizu (all from
Ogi District) merged to form the city of
Ogi.
Ogi District was dissolved as a result of this merger.
★ On
March 1 2005, the towns of
Nakabaru,
Kitashigeyasu and
Mine from
Miyaki District merged to form the town of
Miyaki.
★ On
October 1 2005, the towns of
Morodomi,
Yamato and
Fuji (all from
Saga District) and the village of
Mitsuse from
Kanzaki District merged with the city of
Saga to form the new city of
Saga.
★ On
January 1 2006, the towns of
Ureshino and
Shiota from
Fujitsu District merged to form the city of
Ureshino.
★ On
January 1 2006, the village of
Nanayama from
Higashimatsuura District merged into the city of
Karatsu.
★ On
March 1 2006, the city of
Takeo, and the towns of
Yamauchi and
Kitagata from
Kishima District merged to form the new city of
Takeo.
★ On
March 1 2006, the towns of
Nishiarita and
Arita (both from
Nishimatsuura District) merged to form the new town of
Arita.
★ On
March 1 2006, the towns of
Mitagawa and the village of
Higashisefuri from
Kanzaki District merged to form the new town of
Yoshinogari.
★ On
March 20 2006, the Towns of
Kanzaki and
Chiyoda together with the Village of
Sefuri (all from
Kanzaki District) merged to form the City of
Kanzaki. There are no more villages within the Saga Prefecture as the result of this merger.
Future mergers
The city of
Saga is scheduled to merge with the remaining parts of the
Saga District on
October 1 2007.
Saga District will become extinct if the merger is successful.
Economy
Agricultural,
forestry, and coastal
fisheries products 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%).
Banks
★
Bank of Saga
★
Saga Kyoei Bank
Education
Universities
★
Saga University
★
Nishikyushu University
★
Saga Women's Junior College
★
Saga Junior College
★
Kyushu Ryukoku Junior College
★
Saga Prefectural Agricultural College
Demographics
As of 2002, the census recorded a population 873,885 in Saga. Of these, 15.9% were aged 0-14, 62.7% were age 15-64, and 21.4% were over 65 years old. There were 3,596 foreigners (.4%) and 307 exchange students (.03%) living in the prefecture.
Transportation
Air
★
Saga Airport
Rail
Major stations in the prefecture include
Saga Station,
Tosu Station,
Karatsu Station and
Imari Station.
★
JR Kyushu
★
★
Chikuhi Line
★
★
Kagoshima Main Line
★
★
Karatsu Line
★
★
Nagasaki Main Line
★
★
Sasebo Line
★
Matsuura Railway
★
★
Nishi-Kyūshū Line
★
Amagi Railway
★
★
Amagi Line
Road
★
Tollways
★
★
Nagasaki Expressway,
Kyūshū Expressway,
Nishikyūshū Expressway
★
★
Nijō-Hamatama Road,
Kyūragi-Taku Road,
Tosu-Chikushino Road,
Kunimi Road,
Mitsuse Tunnel
★
National highways
★
★
Route 34,
Route 35
★
★
Route 202,
Route 203,
Route 204,
Route 207,
Route 263,
Route 264,
Route 323,
Route 385,
Route 444,
Route 498
Culture
Arita,
Imari and
Karatsu are famous for the beautiful 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) is Saga's own variation of Japanese.
Festivals
Saga International Balloon Fiesta
The
Saga International Balloon Fiesta is held at the beginning of November every year just outside of
Saga City along the Kase River. This is a very popular event and attracts competitors from all over the world.
Karatsu Kunchi
The
Karatsu Kunchi is held at the beginning of November in
Karatsu City. This is Saga's most famous festival and attracts around 500,000 visitors every year.
Kashima Gatalympics
The
Kashima Gatalympics is held every May in Hama Town, a part of
Kashima City. This event involves playing a variety of sports in the mudflats of the Ariake Sea.
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.
Sport
All Japan Inter High School Athletics Meet 2007
Starting on July, 28th 2007 is the All Japan Inter High School Athletics Meet which will be held throughout different locations within Saga Prefecture. The meet goes from July 28th until August 20th.
More information can be found at
Saga-Soutai Offical Website.
★ Ph. (0952) 25-7335
★ Email: zenkokukoukousoutai@pref.saga.lg.jp
Access Map:
Saga Map (in Japanese)
Sports Teams
Teams listed below are based in Saga Prefecture.
Football (soccer)
★
Sagan Tosu (
Tosu)
Volleyball
★
Hisamitsu Springs (
Tosu)
Tourism
Karatsu, with its fine
castle, is a popular 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 Japans three biggest Inari shrines.
Karatsu Castle.
Famous people
★
Comedian and
J-Pop singer
Hanawa became famous for comically singing about Saga Prefecture and its oddities.
★ Comedian
Masashi Tashiro was born in Saga Prefecture.
★ Musician
Mukai Shutoku was born in Saga Prefecture before moving to
Fukuoka Prefecture to pursue his career.
★
World War II fighter ace
Saburo Sakai was born in Saga Prefecture.
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, and continued into the
Meiji Restoration. Even today, this era shines impressively in Saga's history.
★
Lord Naomasa Nabeshima, feudal lord of the
Nabeshima clan, helped to bring about the development of Saga through introducing European technology and culture.
★
Sano Tsunetami founded the
Japanese Red Cross.
★
Shima Yoshitake contributed to the exploration of
Hokkaidō.
★
Soejima Taneomi served the roles of
Diet member, Foreign Minister, Minister of Domestic Affairs and was well known for his Chinese Poetry and talented writing skills.
★
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.
★
Eto Shimpei, also once a Minister of Legal Affairs, became a Diet member and created the foundation for Japan's judicial system.
★
Ōkuma Shigenobu served two terms as
Prime Minister of Japan. He also established
Waseda University.
See Also
★
Saga Domain
★
Saga Rebellion
References
★ Welcome To Saga; Published by the International Exchange Division, General Affairs Department, Saga Prefecture.
External links
★
Saga City Homepage
★
Official Saga Prefecture Homepage
★
SagaJET Homepage
★
Hagakure
★
WikiTravel Saga
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