# Karatsu, Saga > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Karatsu,_Saga > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Karatsu,_Saga.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karatsu%2C_Saga > Source revision: 1346559200 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Not to be confused with [Dangjin](/source/Dangjin), a city in [South Chungcheong Province](/source/South_Chungcheong_Province), South Korea, that uses the same Chinese characters for the name. **Karatsu** (唐津市, *Karatsu-shi*) is a [city](/source/Cities_of_Japan) located in [Saga Prefecture](/source/Saga_Prefecture) on the island of [Kyushu](/source/Kyushu), [Japan](/source/Japan). Its name, formed from the [Japanese](/source/Japanese_language) word roots 唐 *kara* (China, or continental East Asia in general), and 津 *tsu* (port), signifies its historical importance as an ancient trading port between Japan with China and Korea.[1] As of 01 June 2024, the city had an estimated population of 114,695 in 51375 households, and a [population density](/source/Population_density) of 200 persons per km2.[2] The total area of the city is 487.60 km2 (188.26 sq mi). The same Chinese characters are used in the name of the city (唐津市) as for the city of [Dangjin](/source/Dangjin) in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. ## History The area of Karatsu was part of ancient [Hizen Province](/source/Hizen_Province). In 1591, on the coast of the northern part of the city (formerly the town of Chinzei), [Nagoya Castle](/source/Nagoya_Castle_(Hizen_Province)) was constructed. The following year, it became the location from which the [Imjin War](/source/Imjin_War) was launched by [Toyotomi Hideyoshi](/source/Toyotomi_Hideyoshi). In the middle of 1593, [Terazawa Hirotaka](/source/Terazawa_Hirotaka) created [Karatsu Domain](/source/Karatsu_Domain). In 1602, replacing Nagoya Castle, [Karatsu Castle](/source/Karatsu_Castle) was constructed in what is now the heart of Karatsu. Following the [Meiji restoration](/source/Meiji_restoration), the town of Karatsu and the villages of Hamasaki, Irino, Kagami, Karatsu, Kirigo, Kitahata, Kuri, Kyūragi, Minato, Mitsushima, Nagoya, Nanayama, Ōchi, Ōmura, Onizuka, Sashi, Uchiage and Yobuko were established with the creation of the modern municipalities system. Ōmura was renamed Tamashima on July 28, 1896. Hamasaki was elevated to town status on July 1, 1922. Karatsu annexed Mitsushima on January 1, 1924. Yobuko was elevated to town status on August 1, 1928. Karatsu Village was incorporated into Karatsu Town on January 1, 1932, and on September 1, 1935, both Sashi and Ōchi were elevated to town status. Sashi was subsequently annexed by Karatsu on November 11, 1941. Kyūragi was elevated to town status on May 3, 1952. On November 1, 1954, Karatsu annexed Kagami, Kuri, Minato and Onizuka. Hamasaki and Tamashima were merged to create the town of Hamasaki-Tamashima; and Nagoya and Uchiage were merge to create the town of Chinzei on September 30, 1956. On November 1, 1958, Kirigo was split and its parts were incorporated into Karatsu and Irino (respectively), and Irino was elevated to town status and was renamed Hizen. On November 1, 1966, Hamasaki-Tamashima was renamed Hamatama. On January 1, 2005, the towns of [Chinzei](/source/Chinzei,_Saga), [Hamatama](/source/Hamatama,_Saga), [Hizen](/source/Hizen,_Saga), [Kyūragi](/source/Ky%C5%ABragi,_Saga), [Ōchi](/source/%C5%8Cchi,_Saga), [Yobuko](/source/Yobuko,_Saga) and the village of [Kitahata](/source/Kitahata,_Saga) (all from [Higashimatsuura District](/source/Higashimatsuura_District,_Saga)) were merged into Karatsu. On January 1, 2006, the village of [Nanayama](/source/Nanayama,_Saga) (from [Higashimatsuura District](/source/Higashimatsuura_District,_Saga)) was merged into Karatsu. ## Geography Karatsu is located in northern Saga Prefecture. The city area consists of the plains (Karatsu Plain) created by the Matsuura River and Tamashima River, and a hilly basalt plateau called Uwaba. It faces the [Sefuri Mountains](/source/Mount_Sefuri) to the east, Imari Bay to the west, the Kishima Mountains to the south, and the [Genkai Sea](/source/Genkai_Sea) (Karatsu Bay) to the north, into which the Matsuura River flows. The northwest is a [ria](/source/Ria) coast with many inlets and outlets, and due to its geographical features, this area has been a base for maritime traffic to the continent since ancient times. The city also includes a number of populated offshore islands - [Mountains](/source/Mountain): Mt. Sakurei (887.1 m), Mt. Hachiman (763.6 m), Mt. Tonbo (535 m) - Natural Parks: [Hachimandake Prefectural Natural Park](/source/Hachimandake_Prefectural_Natural_Park), [Sefuri-Kitayama Prefectural Natural Park](/source/Sefuri-Kitayama_Prefectural_Natural_Park), [Tenzan Prefectural Natural Park](/source/Tenzan_Prefectural_Natural_Park) ### Adjoining municipalities [Fukuoka Prefecture](/source/Fukuoka_Prefecture) - [Itoshima](/source/Itoshima,_Fukuoka) [Saga Prefecture](/source/Saga_Prefecture) - [Genkai](/source/Genkai,_Saga) - [Imari](/source/Imari,_Saga) - [Saga](/source/Saga,_Saga) - [Takeo](/source/Takeo,_Saga) - [Taku](/source/Taku,_Saga) ### Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Karatsu is as shown below.[3] Historical population Year Pop. ±% 1960 173,866 — 1970 141,171 −18.8% 1980 142,224 +0.7% 1990 139,888 −1.6% 2000 134,144 −4.1% 2010 126,926 −5.4% 2020 117,373 −7.5% ### Climate Karatsu has a [humid subtropical climate](/source/Humid_subtropical_climate) (Köppen *Cfa*) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Karatsu is 15.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1760 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 5.5 °C.[4] ## Government Karatsu has a [mayor-council](/source/Mayor-council) form of government with a directly elected mayor and a [unicameral](/source/Unicameral) city council of 28 members. Karatsu contributes six members to the Saga Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the [Saga 2nd district](/source/Saga_2nd_district) of the [lower house](/source/House_of_Representatives_of_Japan) of the [Diet of Japan](/source/Diet_of_Japan). ## Local attractions and culture - [Kagami Jinja](/source/Kagami_Shrine). - [Karatsu Castle](/source/Karatsu_Castle) - [Karatsu ware](/source/Karatsu_ware) pottery[5] - [Kawamura Art Museum](/source/Kawamura_Art_Museum) - [Matsurokan](/source/Matsurokan) - [Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum](/source/Saga_Prefectural_Nagoya_Castle_Museum) ### Karatsu Kunchi Main article: [Karatsu Kunchi](/source/Karatsu_Kunchi) Karatsu is famous for its [Karatsu Kunchi](/source/Karatsu_Kunchi) festival ([matsuri](/source/Matsuri)), which runs annually from November 2 to November 4 and is visited by approximately 500,000 visitors from all over Japan. The festival consists of 14 [hikiyama](/source/Hikiyama) (floats made of many layers of [papier-mâché](/source/Papier-m%C3%A2ch%C3%A9)) being carried around the city's narrow streets to calls of "Enya!". Some hikiyama members say "Yoisa!". This accompaniment is one of the [100 Soundscapes of Japan](/source/100_Soundscapes_of_Japan). During Karatsu Kunchi, people in this town open their homes to friends and strangers to eat and drink; the primary focus is enjoying food, beer, and shochu, and having lively conversation.[citation needed] In 2016 the festival was registered as a [UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage](/source/UNESCO_Intangible_Cultural_Heritage_Lists).[5] ### Karatsu International Film Festival The Karatsu International Film Festival (KIFF) has been held in the historic Theater Enya each year since 2022, with the 4th edition running from 8 t0 13 July 2025. The festival awards a number of prizes in eligible categories of films, including [short films](/source/Short_film), [featurettes](/source/Featurette), narrative [feature films](/source/Feature_film), and documentary feature films. The Grand Prix, or Pandre Award, is worth 200,000 yen as of 2025.[5] ### Karatsu Rising Sun International Film Festival The Karatsu Rising Sun International Film Festival is part of the [Rising Sun International Film Festival](/source/Rising_Sun_International_Film_Festival), which is held each November in [Kitakyushu](/source/Kitakyushu). Films are screened in the Theater Enya, and a number of film awards are given by the festival.[6][7] ### Film location [Keisuke Kinoshita](/source/Keisuke_Kinoshita)'s award-winning 1951 film [Fireworks over the Sea](/source/Fireworks_over_the_Sea) was both filmed and set in [Yobuko](/source/Yobuko,_Saga).[citation needed] [Nobuhiko Obayashi](/source/Nobuhiko_Obayashi)'s 2017 film *[Hanagatami](/source/Hanagatami)*, made in collaboration with Theater Enya, was set in Karatsu. It won the Grand Prix at the 72nd [Mainichi Film Awards](/source/Mainichi_Film_Awards), and screened at international film festivals in over 20 countries.[5] ## Economy Karatsu has a diverse economy. The main agricultural products are fruit trees, rice, vegetables, and beef cattle. In the plains of Kagami and Kuri, there are vast rice paddies developed as an ancillary project of the river improvement project in the Edo period. Rice is still the main crop, but due to the rice production reduction policy, there has been a shift to the production of soybeans and other beans, and barley, wheat, and other grains. Large-scale orchards are spread out in the Hamatama area, and greenhouse mandarin oranges are a specialty. The main industrial clusters are the Karatsu Ironworks Complex (Nakahara area), the Karatsu Ishishi Industrial Complex (Ishishi area), and the Kishiyama Industrial Complex (Kitahata Kishiyama area). ## Education Karatsu has 30 public elementary schools and 18 public junior high schools operated by the city government, and one public junior high schools operated by the Saga Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates a six public high schools and one special education school for the handicapped. There is also one private high school. There is one vocational training school, the Karatsu Maritime Polytechnical School. ## Transport ### Railway [JR Kyushu](/source/Kyushu_Railway_Company) - [Karatsu Line](/source/Karatsu_Line) - - - - - - - - [JR Kyushu](/source/Kyushu_Railway_Company) - [Chikuhi Line](/source/Chikuhi_Line) - - - - - [JR Kyushu](/source/Kyushu_Railway_Company) - [Chikuhi Line](/source/Chikuhi_Line) (West) - - - - ### Highways - [Nishi-Kyūshū Expressway](/source/Nishi-Ky%C5%ABsh%C5%AB_Expressway) ## Sister cities - [Reihoku, Kumamoto](/source/Reihoku,_Kumamoto), Japan - [Seogwipo](/source/Seogwipo), South Korea - [Yangzhou](/source/Yangzhou), China - [Yeosu](/source/Yeosu), [South Korea](/source/South_Korea) ## Notable people from Imari - [Ken Hisatomi](/source/Ken_Hisatomi) ([Footballer](/source/Association_football)) - [Takeshi Kamura](/source/Takeshi_Kamura) ([Badminton player](/source/Badminton_player)) - [Toshiro Miyazaki (Baseball Player)](/source/Toshiro_Miyazaki) ## In popular culture - Karatsu is the setting for two manga and anime series, *[Yuri on Ice](/source/Yuri_on_Ice)* and *[Zombieland Saga](/source/Zombieland_Saga)*.[citation needed] ## References 1. The New Encyclopædia Britannica, Micropædia, Vol:6,, 15th edition, 2003. p.740 1. ["Karatsu City official statistics"](https://web.archive.org/web/20181205002916/https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/shimin/shise/toke/jinko/shinojinko.html) (in Japanese). Archived from [the original](https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/shimin/shise/toke/jinko/shinojinko.html) on 2018-12-05. Retrieved 2024-06-21. 1. [Saga Prefecture population by municipality](https://www.pref.saga.lg.jp/kiji00385650/3_85650_272578_up_mq06iuqg.pdf) 1. [Karatsu climate: Average Temperature, weather by month](https://en.climate-data.org/asia/japan/saga-prefecture/karatsu-764599/) 1. ["Karatsu International Film Festival"](https://filmfreeway.com/KaratsuInternationalFilmFestival). *FilmFreeway*. 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025. 1. ["Karatsu Rising Sun International Film Festival"](https://krsiff.jp/english/). *唐津ライジングサン国際映画祭 -*. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2025. 1. ["Rising Sun International Film Festival"](https://filmfreeway.com/RSIFF). *[FilmFreeway](/source/FilmFreeway)*. Retrieved 12 June 2025. ## External links - [Karatsu City official website](https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/) (in Japanese) - [Karatsu City official website](https://web.archive.org/web/20100830121347/http://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/foreign/english/index.html) (in English) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Karatsu, Saga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karatsu%2C_Saga) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karatsu%2C_Saga?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.