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 .
Nagoya-juku
Nagoya-juku was established as a castle town for nearby Nagoya Castle by the Owari Domain in 1613, but it had neither "honjin" nor sub-"honjin" at that time. Because it was located on the Minoji, it was connected to both the Nakasendō and the Tōkaidō, both of which were important trade routes at the time.