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 .
Namioka Castle
Namioka Castle was constructed around 1373, during the early Nanboku-chō period, by the Namioka-Kitabatake clan. During the struggles between Emperor Go-Daigo and Ashikaga Takauji, Kitabatake Akiie, who had been sent to rule northern Japan from Taga Castle was appointed "Chinjufu-shōgun". In December 1335, Kitabatake Akiie and his father Kitabatake Chikafusa drove Ashikaga Takauji from Kyoto to Kyushu. However, Takauji was able to raise a new army the following year, and after defeating Emperor Go-Daigo at the Battle of Minatogawa, was able to drive him into exile in Yoshino. Kitabatake Akiie was subsequently defeated by the forces of Kō no Moronao at the Battle of Ishizu in 1338. His younger brother, Kitabatake Akinobu was also unable to hold Taga Castle and other strongholds against the victorious Ashikaga forces and fled to the far north of Honshū, seeking the protection of the Nanbu clan based at Sannohe Castle and the Andō clan which controlled Tosaminato Port on the Sea of Japan and changed his family name to “Namioka”.