Saga Prefecture

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**Saga Prefecture (佐賀県; *Saga-ken*)**

Capital	Saga (city)
Region	Kyūshū
Island	Kyūshū
Governor	Yasushi Furukawa
Area	2,439.31 km² (42^nd)
- % water	1.7%
Population (October 1, 2005)
- Population	866,402 (42^nd)
- Density	355 /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)
Symbol of Saga Prefecture

Map of Saga Prefecture.

Saga Prefecture (佐賀県, Saga-ken^?) 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.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Transportation
4 Economy
5 Demographics
6 Culture
7 Festivals
8 Sports
9 Tourism
10 Famous People
11 External links

[edit] 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.

[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 large 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
- Mt. Kyōga (1,076 m), the highest point in Saga
- Mt. Sefuri (1,056 m)
- Tenzan (1,046 m)

[edit] Cities

Ten cities are located in Saga Prefecture:

[edit] Towns

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

Saga Districtǂ

Higashiyokaǂ

Kawasoeǂ

Kubotaǂ

ǂ Scheduled to be dissolved following mergers.

[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. Both Karatsu and Hizen later became part of the new city of 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Transportation

Saga is traversed via highways and railways. The Nagasaki Main Line runs from Tosu through Tara.

[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] 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] 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] Festivals

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 is held at the beginning of November in Karatsu City. This is Saga's most famous festival and attracts around 1 million visitors every year.

Kashima Gatalympics is held every May in a small town called Hama, near Kashima City. This event involves playing a variety of sports in the mudflats of the Ariake Sea.

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] Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Saga.

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.

Karatsu Castle.

A reconstruction of a Yayoi period building at the Yoshinogari site.

[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-ken before moving to Fukuoka Prefecture to pursue his career.