building at the
Yoshinogari site 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 Nabatake in
Karatsu and the
Yoshinogari site in
Yoshinogari.
Feudal period (Shachi gate) 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.
Timeline in Saga. Woodblock print from
Tokyo Nichinichi Shimbun, 1874. • 6th century BC (end of the
Jōmon period): Estimated date of the Nabatake ruins in
Karatsu • 1st century BC (middle of the
Yayoi period): Villages flourished at what is now the
Yoshinogari site • 665: After losing the
Battle of Baekgang, Kii Castle (in present-day
Kiyama) amassed its defenses to protect
Dazaifu. • 733:
Hizen Fudoki created. • 1274:
Battle of Bun'ei, the first invasion in the
Mongol invasions of Japan • 1281:
Battle of Kōan, the second invasion in the Mongol invasions of Japan • 1591: Construction of
Nagoya Castle. After the
Japanese invasions of Korea the castle fell in 1598. • 1602: Construction of
Karatsu Castle and
Saga Castle. • 1607: Control of
Saga Domain moved from the
Ryūzōji clan to the
Nabeshima clan. • 1771:
Nijinomatsubara Uprising • 1781: Establishment of Kōdōkan, the Saga
Han school. • 1828: Heavy damage from the
Siebold typhoon, deaths estimated at over 10,000. • 1871, July 14:
Abolition of the han system. All of the
han became
prefectures. • 1871, November 14: The prefectures of Saga, Hasuike, Ogi, Kashima, Karatsu and part of Tsushima merged to form one prefecture, Imari Prefecture. • 1872, May 29: Imari Prefecture renamed Saga Prefecture. • 1874, February:
Saga Rebellion. • 1876, April 18: Incorporated into Mizuma Prefecture. • 1876, May and June: Parts of Mizuma Prefecture transferred to
Nagasaki Prefecture. • 1876, August 21: Mizuma Prefecture abolished. Remaining parts incorporated into Nagasaki Prefecture. • 1883: Saga Prefecture re-established as an independent prefecture, separated from Nagasaki Prefecture. • 1889, April 1: The city of
Saga is founded. • 1891: The
Kyushu Railroad Nagasaki Line opens, beginning with a section from
Tosu to Saga. • 1895: Opening of railroad from Saga to
Takeo. • 1897: Opening of railroad from Takeo to Haiki. • 1903: Opening of railroad from Saga to Nishi-Karatsu. • 1932, January 1: The city of
Karatsu is founded. • 1935: The
Japanese National Railways Saga Line opens. • 1954: During the
Great Showa Merger the cities of Tosu,
Imari, Takeo,
Kashima and
Taku 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. • 1975: The
Genkai Nuclear Power Plant begins operation. • 1987: The Japanese National Railways Saga Line closes. • 1992: The
Yoshinogari History Park opens to the public. • 1998: The
Saga Airport opens in
Kawasoe, in what is now the city of Saga. • 2005: As a part of the
Great Heisei Merger various municipalities are reorganized. • January 1:
Karatsu and
Shiroishi. • March 1:
Ogi and
Miyaki. • October 1:
Saga. • 2006: The Great Heisei Merger continues. • January 1:
Karatsu and
Ureshino. • March 1:
Takeo,
Yoshinogari, and
Arita. • March 20:
Kanzaki. • 2007, October 1: The towns of
Higashiyoka,
Kawasoe and
Kubota merge with the city of Saga. • 2011, March 12: The
Kyushu Shinkansen opens. ==Geography==