A tourist spot that represents Genkai Quasi-National Park is the Nagoya Castle Ruins.

Nagoya, located in the bay, once flourished as a trading center. Nagoya Castle dates back to 1581, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who unified the country, began building a castle when he sent troops to Korea. It is also a castle that was built in a very short period of one year, mainly by Kiyomasa Kato and others.

During the dispatch of troops to Korea, Nagoya Castle served as a front-line base. For this reason, a vast castle has been built, covering an area of 170,000 square meters, centered around the castle tower.

Approximately 120 jinya were built in the surrounding area, and the population of the castle town is said to have exceeded 100,000 at its peak. Although it was only for a short period of time, it flourished as the center of the Japanese economy.

However, after the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the invasion of Korea was halted, the castle was abandoned, and the building is said to have been relocated to Karatsu Castle by Hirotaka Terasawa. After the Shimabara Rebellion during the Edo period, important parts of the strong stone walls were destroyed in order to prevent uprisings and others, and some of them still remain today.

The castle was demolished, and the four corners of the stone walls were cut down so that it could never be restored. However, since you can still see the remains of the magnificent Nagoya Castle, it was designated as a national special historic site in 1922.

■ Basic information
Name: Nagoya Castle Ruins
Address: 1938-3 Nagoya, Chinzei-cho, Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture
Nearest station: JR Karatsu Station (40 minutes by bus)
Business hours: 9:00-17:00
Fee: None (Heritage maintenance cooperation fund: 100 yen)
No regular holiday
Parking: Parking available in nearby parking lots

*Please check the website for detailed information.