Saga Prefecture

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Saga Prefecture (佐賀県 Saga-ken)

Image:Map of Japan with highlight on 41 Saga 佐賀県.svg
Capital	Saga
Region	Kyūshū
Island	Kyūshū
Governor	Yasushi Furukawa
Area	2,439.58 km² (42nd)
- % water	1.7%
Population  (November 1 2007)
- Population	859,308 (42nd)
- Density	352 /km²
Districts	7
Municipalities	23
ISO 3166-2	JP-41
Website	www.pref.saga.lg.jp/ at-contents/gaikoku/ english.html
Prefectural Symbols
- Flower	Camphor blossom (Cinnamomum camphora)
- Tree	Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora)
- Bird	Black-billed magpie (Pica pica)
Image:PrefSymbol-Saga.png Symbol of Saga Prefecture

Saga Prefecture (佐賀県, Saga-ken^?) is located in the northwest part of the island of Kyūshū, Japan. It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea. 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.

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Main geographical features 1.2 Mountains 2 History 3 Cities, Towns & Districts 3.1 Cities 3.2 Towns 3.3 Mergers 3.3.1 Historical mergers 3.3.2 Contemporary mergers 4 Economy 4.1 Banks 5 Education 5.1 Universities 6 Demographics 7 Transportation 7.1 Air 7.2 Rail 7.3 Road 8 Culture 9 Language 10 Festivals 10.1 Saga International Balloon Fiesta 10.2 Karatsu Kunchi 10.3 Kashima Gatalympics 10.4 Imari Ton-Ten-Ton Festival 11 Sport 11.1 All Japan Inter High School Athletics Meet 2007 11.2 Sports Teams 12 Tourism 13 Famous people 14 The Seven Wise Men Of Saga 15 See also 16 References 17 External links

[edit] 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 largest cities of Saga City and Karatsu, agricultural and forested lands comprise over 68% of the total prefectural land area.

[edit] Main geographical features

• Saga Plains
• Higashimatsuura Peninsula

[edit] Mountains

• Sefuri Mountains
• Tara Mountains
  • Mount Kyōga (1,076 m), the highest point in Saga
  • Mount Sefuri (1,056 m)
  • Tenzan (1,046 m)

[edit] History

In ancient times the area composed by Nagasaki Prefecture and Saga Prefecture was called Hizen Province. 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.

[edit] Cities, Towns & Districts

[edit] Cities

Ten cities are located in Saga Prefecture:

Imari Kanzaki Karatsu Kashima Ogi

Saga (capital) Takeo Taku Tosu Ureshino

[edit] Towns

These are the towns in each district:

Fujitsu District Tara Higashimatsuura District Genkai Kanzaki District Yoshinogari Kishima District Kohoku Ōmachi Shiroishi

Miyaki District Kamimine Kiyama Miyaki Nishimatsuura District Arita

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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. Hizen was later incorporated into Karatsu.

[edit] 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.

• On October 1, 2007 the towns of Higashiyoka, Kawasoe, and Kubota, all from Saga District, were all incorporated into the city of Saga. Saga District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

[edit] 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%).

[edit] Banks

• Bank of Saga
• Saga Kyoei Bank

[edit] Education

[edit] Universities

• Saga University
• Nishikyushu University
• Saga Women's Junior College
• Saga Junior College
• Kyushu Ryukoku Junior College
• Saga Prefectural Agricultural College

[edit] 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.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Air

• Saga Airport

[edit] 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

[edit] 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

[edit] 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.

[edit] Language

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

[edit] Festivals

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Sport

[edit] 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)

[edit] Sports Teams

Teams listed below are based in Saga Prefecture.

Football (soccer)

• Sagan Tosu (Tosu)

Volleyball

• Hisamitsu Springs (Tosu)

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] See also

• Saga Domain
• Saga Rebellion

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• (English) Saga City Homepage
• Official Saga Prefecture Homepage
• SagaJET Homepage
• Hagakure
• WikiTravel Saga

Image:Shadow picture of Saga prefecture.png Saga Prefecture Image:Flag of Saga.png
Cities
Imari | Kanzaki | Karatsu | Kashima | Ogi | Saga (capital) | Takeo | Taku | Tosu | Ureshino
Districts and Towns
Fujitsu:  Tara Higashimatsuura:  Genkai Kanzaki:  Yoshinogari Kishima:  Kōhoku | Ōmachi | Shiroishi Miyaki:  Kamimine | Kiyama | Miyaki Nishimatsuura:  Arita
edit

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