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 .
Furuwatari Castle
It was originally outside the city of Nagoya in the countryside of the Owari Province. The castle was apparently originally constructed by Lord Oda Nobuhide (1508-1549) in 1534. According to legend his son Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) had his "genpuku" (coming of age ceremony at age 13) here. The castle is said to have been about 140 metres by 100 metres, and was surrounded by a double moat. The castle was abandoned in 1548 and fell into ruins. A stone stelae marks the site of the castle.