Saga Castle Ruins

Saga, Japan, Japan

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Saga Castle Ruins are the remains of Saga Castle, a large flatland castle in the city of Saga, Saga Prefecture, that served as the residence of the Nabeshima clan, the daimyō of Saga Domain, and was once known as the “Submerged Castle” (Shizumi‑jō) because of its wide moats and earthen ramparts that gave it the appearance of rising from water.

The site originated as Murauchi Castle under the Ryūzōji clan, but was extensively expanded and renovated by Nabeshima Naosige and his son Nabeshima Katsusige, and completed as a 360,000‑koku domain castle in 1611, with a main enclosure about 126 by 122 meters, a four‑story keep in the northwest corner, and stone walls up to about nine meters high surrounded by an approximately 80‑meter‑wide moat lined with pine and camphor trees.

The castle suffered repeated fires and reconstructions, and in 1874 during the Saga Rebellion led by Etō Shinpei, some buildings were destroyed, after which remaining structures were gradually demolished so that today only the ornate Shachihoko Gate (the main honmaru gate topped with bronze mythical shachihoko creatures), the Tsudzuki Yaguda connecting turret, and substantial stone walls survive, with the gate and turret designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan.