Edo

Discover Taku Seibyo, one of Japan's three great Confucian temples and a nationally designated Important Cultural Property. Built in 1708 in Saga Prefecture, this stunning vermilion temple features Chinese-style carvings, a legendary dragon ceiling painting, and the Sekisai ritual held for over 300 years.

The Sanmon gate of Iōji Temple in Ōchi Town, Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. Founded in 1383 by the Hata clan of the Matsura warrior confederacy, this Sōtō Zen temple was once one of the three principal Zen monasteries in Kyushu. Highlights include a 450-year-old cedar tree and one of only six surviving Hizen bells in Japan.

Iō-ji is a Sōtō Zen temple founded in 1383 in Ōchi, Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, whose main hall is a nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property. The temple treasures include one of only six surviving Hizen bells in Japan, a 450-year-old cedar tree, and a hidden Yakushi Nyorai statue unveiled once every 25 years.

Nonaka Usaien in Saga City is a historic apothecary building dating from around 1796, registered as a national Tangible Cultural Property. Standing along the former Nagasaki Kaido highway, its imposing plastered facade and grand central gable preserve the atmosphere of a prosperous Edo-period merchant house. Discover the story of this remarkable building and the traditional herbal medicine that has been produced here for over two centuries.