Saga Castle History Museum

Visitors can fully enjoy the history of the Saga Clan, which led the modernization of Japan from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji Restoration.

The Saga Castle Honmaru History Museum was established to convey that era in an easy-to-understand manner.

It is known for being the first museum in Japan to restore the Honmaru Goten while preserving its original remains, and covers an area of approximately 2,500 square meters. The museum provides visitors with an easy-to-understand introduction to the role of the Saga clan, including its science, technology, and great men and women, from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji Restoration.

The museum is one of the largest restored wooden buildings in Japan, and is a fascinating space where visitors can fully experience the atmosphere of the period. The explanations by resident volunteer guides and weekend theatrical performances are also very popular.

Saga Castle

A castle that existed in Japan and was located in what is now Saga City, Saga Prefecture. Originally the castle was the residence of Ryuzoji Takanobu, a feudal lord of Hizen Province, and his successor Ryuzoji Soke, but it was renovated by the Nabeshima clan during the Keicho period, giving it its present form as Saga Castle. It was also called Sakajo Castle in the old days, and was also known as Sunken Castle or Turtle Castle. It was completed in the early Edo period (1603-1867), and since then has served as the residence of the Nabeshima clan of the Saga domain, a feudal lord on the outside.

Saga Castle is located in the center of Saga City, and its castle structure is a contour-ladder combined plain castle; the moat, which is over 50 meters wide, is built with earthen mounds rather than stone walls. Because of its location on flat land, pine trees and camphor trees were planted on the earthen mounds so that the castle could not be seen.

The name “sunken castle” was derived from the fact that the castle was covered by trees, making it difficult to see, and that it was once equipped with a system to defend against enemy invasion by sending water from the Tabuse River in the event of an attack, as the outer moat was lined with several layers of moats.

In addition, a comparison of the “Keicho Gozaki-ezu,” a drawing of the castle and castle town as it was expected to be completed, and a later drawing of the castle reflecting the current situation shows that the castle was not completely finished, as the number of turrets was reduced and the stone walls of the Honmaru and Ninomaru were simplified.

During the Edo period (1603-1867), ditches were built vertically and horizontally under the castle and inside the castle to supply water for daily use. In addition, the Nagasaki Kaido Road, which ran from Kokura in Buzen to Nagasaki, passed under the castle, and the area prospered as an inn town.

Most of the buildings were destroyed by fire during the Saga Rebellion in the early Meiji Period (1868-1912), but the Shachi-no-Mon (or Shachi-no-Mon) and the continuation turret still remain, and are designated as National Important Cultural Properties. The castle tower is said to have been destroyed by fire in Kyoho 11, and recent research suggests that it may have been about the same size as Kokura Castle, or slightly larger.

Today, the ruins of the castle are maintained as Saga Castle Park, and the wooden reconstruction of the Honmaru Palace is open to the public as the Saga Prefectural Saga Castle Honmaru History Museum. In the surrounding area, the east moat and earthen mounds have been restored, restoring the castle to its former glory. The Ninomaru area is the political and economic center of Saga Prefecture, with public facilities such as the Saga Prefectural Government Office, the Joint Government Building, broadcasting stations, art galleries, museums, and elementary, junior high, and high schools.

History

Warring States Period
Saga Ryuzoji Castle (also known as Muranaka Castle) was the soke residence of Ryuzoji Takanobu Ryuzoji, a feudal lord of Hizen, and his successors, the Ryuzoji clan. The Ryuzoji clan was settled in the late Heian period and continued as the Ryuzoji clan. However, in 1569, the area surrounding the castle was burned to the ground by a large army led by Otomo Sorin, putting the castle in a difficult situation. The Ryuzoji forces holed up the castle and fought hard, defeating Otomo Chikasada in a night attack. The castle then became the residence of Ryuzoji Takanobu’s son, Masaya, and grandson, Takafusa.

Azuchi-Momoyama Period and Edo Period
Saga Castle was originally the residence of the Ryuzoji clan, and was renovated and expanded from their former castle in Muranaka. After Ryuzoji Takanobu was killed in battle in 1584, Ryuzoji vassal Nabeshima Naoshige took control of the castle. Naoshige drew up a plan to renovate Muranaka Castle, but because it was the residence of the Ryuzoji clan, he did not carry out his plan, and the renovation finally began in 1602 during the Edo period. Based on Naoshige’s plan, the next lord, Katsushige Nabeshima, completed it in 1611. The castle suffered several fires, but the Great Fire of 1726 destroyed most of the buildings in the Honmaru. Later, a palace was built in the Ninomaru area, and in 1835, the Honmaru was again destroyed by fire. The present remaining Shachi-no-Mon (or Shachi-no-Mon) and the continuation turret were rebuilt in 1838. The castle tower has not been rebuilt since the fire of Kyoho period.

Modern Period

In 1874, the Saga Rebellion broke out, and Saga Castle was temporarily occupied by the rebels. Most of the buildings were lost in the battle. Bullet holes from that time can still be seen on the Shachi-no-Mon gate. Later, public facilities such as schools, weather stations, and the prefectural office were built on the site of Saga Castle. The Shachi-no-Mon (or Shachi-no-Mon) and the continuation turret were designated as Important Cultural Properties of Saga Prefecture in 1953 and as Important Cultural Properties of Japan in 1957. A Meiji-era building called Kyowakan was moved to the castle tower and used for activities, but it was dismantled in 2003 because it was often mistakenly identified as a structure of the castle tower.

The “Ozama” at the far end of the Honmaru Goten was the residence of Naomasa Nabeshima, and was moved to Suigae Oki Park in 1958 as Nansuikaikan. 2001, it was designated as an important cultural property by the city, and in 2004, it was returned to its original location with the restoration of the Honmaru Goten.

On April 6, 2006, Saga Castle was selected as one of the 100 best castles in Japan (No. 89).

Since 2012, a large-scale excavation and literature survey of the castle tower has been conducted. This has revealed that the exterior has a four-story roof, but the interior has five stories: upper (5th), lower (4th), second (3rd), third (2nd), and outer (1st), with the uppermost level having two stories above and below. The first floor is estimated to have been a shoin-style building, which is unusual for a late period castle tower. The windows are estimated to have been made of butt-joints based on metal fittings excavated during the excavation. There are two existing drawings of the castle keep, the Kan’ei 3 (1626) Kan’ei Gosho Nararikoji-cho Map and the Keicho Saka Shojo Nai Map, which have similarities with the castle keep except for the roof decoration. It is now known that these features are based on the castle tower of Kokura Castle.

Architecture

According to the “Edo Sambu Kiko” written in 1691 by Kempel, a Dutch merchant and German physician, Saga Castle was located in the castle town of Hizen Province, where the lord of the castle, Matsudaira Hizen no Mamoru, lived in a large castle. The town itself was very large, populated, and spread over a long area. In addition, the town line was broad and regularly ran straight east and south, with canals and rivers running through it. People could use these to get to Ariake Bay.

Shachi-no-Mon, the front gate of the Honmaru, was built in 1836 when it was rebuilt. Its name comes from the bronze shachi that ride on the roof. The inscription reads “Jiko Taniguchi Seizaemon.

The Honmaru Goten was reconstructed in wood and is now the Saga Prefectural Saga Castle Honmaru History Museum. The “Ozama,” the living room of the feudal lord, is an existing structure.

The southwest corner turret has a hexagonally shaped stone pile with a tortoiseshell structure.