Saga

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(2002 est. pop. 878,000). Saga Prefecture is situated in the northwest of Japan's island of Kyushu, where it occupies an area of 2,440 square kilometers. Saga's primary geographical features are the Sefuri Mountains and the southern Saga Plain. Saga is bordered by the Genkai and Ariake Seas, and by Fukuoka and Nagasaki prefectures. Once known as Hizen Province, it assumed its present name and borders in 1883.

The original province was ruled by a series of warlords until Nabeshima Naoshige (1538–1618) was granted sovereignty. Nabeshima participated in the invasions of Korea that Japan's paramount warlord, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1535–1596), launched in 1592 and 1597, and returned to his province with captive Korean potters. The discovery of kaolin clay near Arita fueled Japan's porcelain industry, and the Korean potters began to make export wares to replace those from Ming dynasty China. The Nabeshima family continued its rule through the Edo period (1600/1603–1868).

The prefecture's capital is Saga city. Originating as an Edo period castle town, in the early 2000s, it is a market and distribution center for local agricultural goods such as rice, vegetables, mandarin oranges, and dairy products. It also is the site of industrial facilities for brewing, foodstuff processing, textiles, and paper manufacture. The prefecture's other important cities are Karatsu, Arita, Imari, and Tosu.

In recent times, Saga was a productive coal mining region, though many of the mines now are closed. Its waters are the site of prolific fisheries, pearl beds, and of nori (edible seaweed) production in the Ariake Sea. Karatsu, once a thriving port for trade with China, has long been noted for its elegant pottery, made since the pre-Korean pottery era. Other attractions include the scenic Genkai Sea shoreline with its nearby coastal pine forest, the nation's foremost sylvan preserve.

"Saga Prefecture." (1993) Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Tokyo: Kodansha.