Karatsu, Saga
Due to its proximity to mainland Asia, Karatsu has long been known as a stopover to Korea and China.Under ritsuryō, the current city area was part of the Hizen Province. In 1591, on the coast of the northern part of the city (formerly the town of Chinzei), Nagoya Castle was constructed. The following year, it became the location from which the Imjin War was launched by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In the middle of 1593, Terasawa Hirotaka created the Karatsu domain and began governing it. In 1602, replacing Nagoya Castle, Karatsu Castle was constructed in what is now the heart of Karatsu. The tower of Karatsu Castle was built in 1966 .
Nishikawa Castle
Nishikawa Castle was built sometime between 1532 and 1555 (the Tenbun Period) by Saigo Kiyokazu, and served as a branch castle of the Saigo clan, while the main residence and clan headquarters was at Wachigaya Castle. As an apparent show of loyalty to the Imagawa clan, the dominant ally of the Matsudaira, the name "Nishikawa" was created as an amalgamation of the first "kanji" from Saigo (西, which can be pronounced "nishi", "sei", or "sai") and the second "kanji" of Imagawa (川, pronounced "kawa" or "gawa").