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 Castle
Six tea houses were located in the old Ninomaru Garden, including Tashun-en, Yamashita Oseki, Yoho-tei, and Fushin-tei. A reconstruction of the thatched Sarumen tea house is located in the Tokugawa Museum. The Soketsu-tei, the largest one, was built in the Sukiya style. In an excavation survey, a site was identified almost exactly matching that of the Soketsu-tei as depicted in "Oniwa Ezu". Today, cobblestones are placed to mark where tatami mats would have been, rubble and plaster where the hallway was, and gravel on the other surfaces for an easy understanding of the original structure.