Saga Castle History Museum — Transparent City Origin Story

The original Saga Castle (1608) was demolished in the 1870s; the current History Museum occupies the restored Great Hall (hommaru gotenke) using all-traditional construction — Japanese cypress, hand-forged iron fittings, and tatami floors extending 2,600 square meters through interconnected reception rooms. The museum's collection focuses on the Meiji Restoration, in which Saga-han played a disproportionate role: five founding fathers of modern Japan came from this prefecture, including the creators of the Japanese Navy, postal system, and railway network.