Saga Prefecture in the context of "Sweet osmanthus"

Fukuoka Prefecture (福岡県, Fukuoka-ken; Japanese pronunciation: [ɸɯ̥.kɯꜜ.o.ka, -kɯ.o.kaꜜ.keɴ]) is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 km (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the southwest, Kumamoto Prefecture to the south, and Ōita Prefecture to the southeast.

Fukuoka is the capital and largest city of Fukuoka Prefecture, and the largest city on Kyūshū, with other major cities including Kitakyushu, Kurume, and Ōmuta. Fukuoka Prefecture is located at the northernmost point of Kyūshū on the Kanmon Straits, connecting the Tsushima Strait and the Seto Inland Sea across from Yamaguchi Prefecture on the island of Honshu, and extends south towards the Ariake Sea.

Nagasaki Prefecture (長崎県, Nagasaki-ken) is a prefecture of Japan, mainly located on the island of Kyūshū, although it also includes a number of islands off Kyūshū's northwest coast - including Tsushima and Iki. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,246,481 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,130 km (1,594 sq mi). Nagasaki Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the northeast.

Nagasaki is the capital and largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture, with other major cities including Sasebo, Isahaya, and Ōmura. Nagasaki Prefecture is located in western Kyūshū with a territory consisting of many mainland peninsulas centered around Ōmura Bay, as well as islands and archipelagos including Tsushima and Iki in the Korea Strait and the Gotō Islands in the East China Sea. Nagasaki Prefecture is known for its century-long trading history with the Europeans and as the sole place of direct trade and exchange between Japan and the outside world during the Sakoku period. Nagasaki Prefecture is home to several of the Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region which have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Ariake Sea (有明海, Ariake-kai) is a body of salt water surrounded by Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto Prefectures, all of which lie on the island of Kyūshū in Japan. It is the largest bay in Kyūshū. Its deepest point is only about 20 meters deep, and extreme tides exceed 4 meters (13 ft), covering roughly 1,700 square kilometres (660 sq mi). Isahaya Bay is a branch of the Ariake Sea. Across the Amakusa Islands lies the Yatsushiro Sea.

Many harbors are located on the coast of the Ariake Sea. Among them are Misumi (in the city of Uki, Kumamoto Prefecture), Shimabara (Shimabara, Nagasaki), Taira (Unzen, Nagasaki), Nagasu (Nagasu, Kumamoto), Kumamoto (Kumamoto, Kumamoto), Miike (Omuta, Fukuoka), Kuchinotsu (Minamishimabara, Nagasaki), and Oniike (Amakusa, Kumamoto). Five ferry routes cross the Ariake Sea.

Hizen Province (肥前国, Hizen no Kuni; Japanese pronunciation: [çiꜜ.(d)zeɴ, -(d)zen no kɯ.ɲi]) was an old province of Japan in the area of the Saga and Nagasaki prefectures. It was sometimes called Hishū (肥州), with Higo Province. Hizen bordered on the provinces of Chikuzen and Chikugo. The province was included in Saikaidō. It did not include the island provinces (now municipalities) of Tsushima and Iki that are now part of modern Nagasaki Prefecture.

Marquess Ōkuma Shigenobu (Japanese: 大隈 重信; 11 March 1838 – 10 January 1922) was a Japanese statesman who was a leading figure in the Meiji and Taishō eras of Japan, serving as Prime Minister in 1898, and from 1914 to 1916. A key advocate for the adoption of Western science and culture in Japan, Ōkuma was a central figure in the country's modernization. He founded the political party Rikken Kaishintō and was an early proponent of parliamentary democracy. He is also the founder of Waseda University.

Born in Hizen Province (modern-day Saga Prefecture), Ōkuma was an early advocate for the abolition of the feudal system and the establishment of a constitutional government. As an "outsider" from Saga, he was a rare exception in the Satsuma-Chōshū clique that dominated the Meiji government. He joined the government in 1868 and rose to become Minister of Finance, a position in which he unified the nation's currency, created a national budget, and established the national mint. Following a political crisis in 1881, he was ousted from the government by his rivals. In opposition, he founded the Rikken Kaishintō and became one of the most prominent public figures championing a British-style parliamentary system.

Tatsuno Kingo (辰野 金吾; October 13, 1854 – 25 March 1919) was a Japanese architect born in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, Kyushu. He was a Doctor of Engineering; conferred as Jusanmi (従三位, Junior Third Rank) and Kunsanto (勲三等, Order of Third Class); and served as dean of Architecture Department at Tokyo Imperial University.

Tatsuno is most widely known for his work as the designer of the Bank of Japan building (1896) and the Marunouchi building of Tokyo Station (1914).